


Lift Me Up

by Bean_writes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blind Eren Yeager, Blow Jobs, College, College Student Eren Yeager, College Student Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Dry Humping, Enthusiastic Consent, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, First Dates, Fluff, Frottage, Grinding, Happy Ending, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Marijuana, Masturbation, Misunderstandings, Music, New Year's Eve, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Oblivious Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Or rather strangers to somewhat friends to lovers, Partying, Pining Eren Yeager, Power Bottom Eren Yeager, Praise Kink, Punk Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Rating will go up, Recreational Drug Use, Riding, Someone give Levi a hug, Strangers to Lovers, They're basically dumbasses in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2020-12-17 15:40:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21056807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bean_writes/pseuds/Bean_writes
Summary: In his third year of college, Levi Ackerman finds himself in a slump. He is lost in his dark mind until he meets a lively brunet with the brightest eyes and the widest smile he has ever seen. Eren, despite being blind, manages to shine a whole new light on Levi's life even though all he has ever known is darkness.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this need to write blind!Eren for a long time now and don't worry, the rating will definitely go up ;)
> 
> M rating starting from chapter 4  
E rating starting from chapter 8
> 
> If you enjoy the music in this fic, here's the playlist I made for writing these two dumbasses together. Enjoy? [link to spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pvEZd60b3JFNBSvMZUmSc?si=s1O0Q0yfSxyyeqR8a381jg)

“Shut it Hanji.” 

“Ah, ah, ah,” Nanaba swatted their finger, smirking smugly, “no talking.”

Levi grumbled as Hanji kept on snickering and taking pictures for snapchat on their phone. Why did he agree on taking them with to get his fucking lip pierced again? As if the previous times had been so damn enjoyable with them here.

“Come on Levi, wave for Erwin.” They whined, almost shoving their phone in his face if it hadn’t been for Nanaba holding them back. “Right, right, gotta let ya work.” 

“I don’t think Erw-” he was cut off by a slap on his thigh, his piercer giving him a warning glare before he shut his mouth again. Goddammit.

“Okay deep breath in… and out.”

The first two seconds were the worst and the painful sting left a buzzing warmth in its wake. Vertical labrets were a bit more tedious to take care of but with the collection of piercings on his body, it couldn’t be too bad. At least not worse than the awful year of taking care of his nipples.

At a quarter past one both arrived back on campus, right on time for their political science class, which Levi had to drag Hanji to. If it had been up to the lazy shit they’d be napping by now, sleeping off their high while Levi took notes for them during class. And Levi was having none of that shit.

“Explain to me why I’m here again.” They whined, resting their cheek on their palm with a sleepy gaze.

Levi huffed as he shook his head, “Because you watched me get pierced. Give and take. Now shut it.”

“You’re no fun when you’re sober,” they elbowed him in the side, wiggling their eyebrows when Levi gave them a side-eye look, “why don’t you take a smoke break with me after this class?”

He had to roll his eyes at that. If he had to be honest, it did sound fucking tempting but for one, he couldn’t smoke for a week with this new jewelry through his bottom lip, and second, he had his weekly sociology class right after this one. He couldn’t even get a refill of his water bottle before their prissy professor made sure to start his tyranny. He wondered if he did it on purpose or he completely lacked self-awareness.

“Sociology, remember?” Levi said as he continued to lazily take notes of the history of democracy. 

“Boring,” Hanji whined and slumped back into their chair with a heavy groan, “just skip it.” 

He chuckled under his breath. While yes, he did find Hanji particularly annoying today, it still made these classes feel shorter than usual. Three-hour lectures were pure hell, especially in an auditorium with no windows and shitty ass wooden seats that made your ass cheeks numb. From the looks of it, he was close to being the only one who was still attempting to take notes.

The girls at the back had gone back to their usual chatting, the kiss-asses in the front had even closed their word document and were watching youtube together, the two artsy, gothic girls were already packing their bags to get the hell out of there. Meanwhile, he still tried to put some effort into his notes, but he was so fucking tempted to just sit back and relax while he still could.

He shook his head, remembering how his high school teachers would warn them for the upcoming agony of going to college or university. _You can’t laze around anymore and turn up late for class._ Bullshit, most professors were late to their own lectures and sometimes even canceled class when they weren’t feeling up for it. Man, that must be great, good thing neither him or Hanji were planning to become teachers or they’d cancel their classes every week and lose their jobs.

“And that’s it for today, see you next week.” Their professor said and with that Hanji got up from their seat and patted Levi on the back.

“So, do I see you at today’s meeting?”

“For the millionth time, Shitty Glasses, no.”

“Come on, Leviiiiii,” 

Glancing up, “I said, no.”

Hanji was part of the campus’ LGBTQ club, co-owner even, and they’d been trying to drag Levi along with them for the three years he had already been on this godforsaken campus. He just wasn’t the social type, they knew that. Not that he didn’t support the whole coming together and feeling accepted thing, it was a good idea, he just didn’t need it anymore. 

They winked and Levi was this close to slamming his forehead on the small desk when they told him he might find a cute boyfriend there. 

Lucky for him, the dictator entered the room and that was Hanji’s cue to go. They left with an enthusiastic wave while the rest of the auditorium started filling up with the new students. Sociology was also taken by the psychology department and they were, what he would describe them as, noisy. It was always like he was in The Breakfast Club. There were the sports, also known as the failed athletes who tried to get a degree, the princesses, the quiet ones, the thugs and of course, the nerds who sat at the front of the class and kissed the professor’s ass. These were so far up the old man’s ass they could probably tell what he had for breakfast earlier this day.

One minute before the class officially started, the professor impatiently tapped his foot as he looked at his watch and made a move to close the doors when the infamous trio bursted their way through his efforts. Infamous, well known, easy to recognize? Was it socially accepted to call a group of friends consisting of a goth girl, a blond with a bowl cut, and a blind kid with a walking stick infamous? 

Slumping in his chair, Levi didn’t care. He wasn’t friends with them anyway. Psychology students weren’t exactly his favorite, Hanji being the only weird exception. And these brats were two-three years his junior, who in their right mind would try to socialize with them?

After class, Levi managed to refill his thermos with his favorite black tea before catching his train back home. He had given living on campus a try during his first semester at Trost University, but after 12 weeks of loud neighbors, dirty kitchens, smelly and moldy bathrooms, he had taken up Erwin’s offer to be a personal trainer at the local gym on the weekends in order to pay for a mediocre apartment just outside the city.

Honestly, it wasn’t too bad. The job, he meant, nor was the apartment. The years and years of utter agony his uncle had put him through paid off in the end and he gave extra Thai Box classes to high schoolers and the occasional cardio training to cougars. Yes, cougars. Middle-aged women who more than wanted to get a piece him. What was he supposed to do? Get “thirsty for cock” tattooed on his forehead? But in the end, as long as they didn’t touch him, he gladly took their money and spent it on rent, food, and notebooks he never used for his creative writing.

Writer’s block could suck his dick. It wasn’t like the ideas weren’t there, they surely were, at least ten of them. Maybe that was the problem, the fact he couldn’t commit to one story or universe before getting consumed by another idea just as quickly. He went through fads, as he could best describe them. Utter fixation and infatuation of an idea or universe and when he finally took the time to sit down and write out the idea, he had already lost interest. 

It was beyond frustrating. 

His words felt bland, without emotion, uncared for to the point he wouldn’t even read what he had written himself. That was how bad his writing, and he had gotten. He found himself in a slump, a vicious circle, some type of routine he didn’t like for one bit but couldn’t seem to break out of. And he didn’t understand any of it.

He had a steady income, an apartment where he could be whoever the fuck he wanted to be, he was out of the closet and accepted by the people whom he cared about, he was working for his degree, he had hobbies, what more could he want? 

Frowning, he ran his hand through his hair and put his earbuds back in. When he felt like this, he let Moby tell him [why his heart felt so bad.](https://open.spotify.com/track/3llxqT4IdBS7i2CCIPImww?si=tzDMyof9Q8iUOTomY63r8g)

Friday afternoon came lurking around the corner during his final lecture. He was alone in the auditorium after Hanji had immediately packed their bags to get the hell out of there. “Save yourself,” they had screamed before spurting out of the lecture hall and left Levi to fend for himself. Asshole.

They usually took the train back together during rush hour, but now that he found himself waiting on the platform alone and the longer he stood, the more people arrived. This was going to be so much fun.With his short stature he usually got a few elbows hitting the side of his head. He couldn’t fucking wait. 

Within the next minute, he felt like a pig on its way to slaughter. All cramped up, sweaty, surrounded by literal pigs. Did cattle sweat in those containers? Wow, he really had to tone down the morbid sense of humor.

Shaking his head, Muse took over as the train departed and if it weren’t for him keeping himself upright, this dumbass next to him would’ve fallen over. As he looked up, trying to pull an apology or a thank you out of the lanky figure, his eyes widened as he realized it was the blind kid from his sociology class. 

Immediately pulling out his earbuds, he looked around him. No one had offered him a seat? Couldn’t they see that he was literally walking around with a walking stick? What the fuck?

“Sorry,” the brunet mumbled, his voice shaken and almost fragile and for once Levi felt bad for a stranger. The audacity these fucking people had was infuriating. 

He straightened his back, put up the most intimidating look he had in stock and squirmed through the pack of sardines to get to the closest seat he could find. It was occupied by a college student about his age, but he was so ready to make him cry on the spot, egocentric little bitch.

“Get up,” Levi barked and caught the attention of the entire wagon. The guy raised an eyebrow at him before turning his head to look outside. He was going to ignore him? As if he could. “Listen up shitbag, see that kid over there?”

He pointed at the brunet who still stood where he well, left him, getting paler and paler with every second. “Get up so he can sit down.”

“But-”

“Did I fucking stutter?” Levi hovered over the stranger and the look on his face was priceless, pure horror. None of the other people in the wagon dared to take the empty seat as he made his way back to the brunet. He instinctively made a move to wave his hand when he realized he, of course, wouldn’t be able to see him. Fuck.

Strangely enough, when he stood in front of his fellow student anxiety knotted in the pit of his stomach, but he managed to quickly shake it off. Jesus, what was coming over him? “Hey, uhm.”

_ Fuck, what was his name? _

“You’re in my sociology class.”

The brunet’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline when he realized Levi was talking to him and he cocked his head to the side. “Me?”

“Yeah, I’m uh,” was he supposed to introduce himself, wouldn’t that be too much? “I’m Levi and I found you a seat.” 

The boy’s face immediately lit up in both relief and… excitement? And the raven felt the corners of his own mouth twitch slightly upwards when the brunet gave him the widest smile he had ever seen in his life. “Thank you!”

_ Okay, what happened next? _

“Levi, right?” 

Levi’s eyes shot up and he hummed in acknowledgment.

“You’re gonna have to show me where it is or I’m gonna stab people with my stick.” 

Levi snorted and found that even for someone who was blind, the boy’s eyes seemed to- wait, why the fuck was he looking at his eyes? Jesus fucking Christ. “Yeah, okay. Do I just-”

“If you don’t mind I could hold your shoulder and follow you.” The brunet smiled and Levi froze when he saw the boy reaching his hand. He turned his back and had to push the other’s hand down on his shoulder as it had been dangling around where his face was. Easy mistake, he was damn short after all.

“I’m Eren, by the way.” 

With a swift flick of his wrist, Eren folded up his walking stick after they made it to the empty seat. “Thanks again, rush hour is always the worst.” He laughed, putting his bag onto his lap and brushing the strings of hair out of his face.

Levi hummed, “It’s shit even for me, let alone for someone who’s uhm…”

“Blind?” 

Blinking a few times, Levi awkwardly rubbed his nape, “I don’t want to seem insensitive. That shit must suck.” 

“Well, it’s not like it isn’t obvious, I mean I walk around with a stick. So, don’t worry about it. Plus you managed to find a seat for me.”

“Yeah it w-”

“Thanks for making that man stand up by the way. It was really nice of you, thank you.”

In stunned silence, Levi stared at the space Eren occupied, wishing he would know what to say rather than keep quiet, but small talk wasn’t exactly his forté. Instead, he looked out the window and violently cursed under his breath when he realized his stop was next. “Shit, my stop is here so...”

“Oh, okay, bye!” Eren smiled, waving him goodbye. The gesture flooded Levi’s chest with warmth and he quickly had to avert his gaze, the tips of his ears growing hot.

_ What the fuck was that just now? _ Levi thought.

Swallowing thickly, after exiting the train he followed his usual path home and put his earbuds back in. He didn’t even have to listen to the words Moby sang to him, knowing them by heart and he mumbled them under his breath.

_ Went down the hill, the other day. _

_ Soul got happy and stayed all day. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the support on the first chapter!

On Monday, Hanji paid for the food and Levi followed them to one of the empty tables at the end of the cafetaria. “So how was your weekend, shortstack?”

Rolling his eyes, Levi took a bite of his mozzarella pesto panini. “The usual.”

Hanji hummed, making a bridge with their hands and rested their chin on it. Their glasses almost fell off the tip of their nose when they grinned widely, “Right. Nothing interesting happened?”

Levi squinted at them before taking another bite. Hanji was always onto something, for fuck’s sake.

“No new connections made?”

“Hanji,” Levi sighed and patted his mouth dry with his spare handkerchief, “spit it out.” 

They shrugged, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just making conversation.” 

“Then get the shit-eating grin off your face and let me eat,” Levi spat, eyes throwing daggers.

After a long pause, Hanji finally decided to admit their defeat, “A little birdie told me you made quite the commotion on the train last Friday.”

Levi’s lunch was about halfway to his mouth and he paused to glare at Hanji.

“I heard you were actually nice for once, the audacity. Who are you?” they feigned offense, turning into a fit of laughter and giggles when Levi slapped their arm. “Oh come on, Leviii. Eren is cute, isn’t he?”

He blinked a few times, Eren was easy on the eyes, there was no denying that, but there was no way in hell he’d let Hanji have their fun with him. “Not my type.” 

“Right,” Hanji scoffed, crossing their arms over their chest. 

Levi raised a brow in response to the mischievous grin and flicker in Hanji’s eyes and watched them rummage through their bag. “Lost your point in there, Shitty Glasses?”

They started scribbling in their notebook before ripping out a small edge of the piece of paper and sliding it to Levi’s side of the table. Smirking from ear to ear, “Oh hush, grumpypants.”

Levi squinted at the action while taking another bite of his lunch, why was he friends with them again? He really needed his daily reminder. They had written down a bunch of numbers and when he didn’t get it from the get-go, Hanji let out a deep sigh and sat up from their seat.

Without any sort of warning, they dug into the pocket of Levi’s leather jacket and took out his phone. When he protested, they raised their hand to shush him and before Levi could act on the insolence Hanji scoffed and handed Levi his phone back. “In case you change your mind.” 

“Hanji, what the actual fuck do you think you’re doing?” Levi spat and looked down at a newly made contact named “Eren” with a black heart next to his name. “You better-”

“You’re welcome,” they sneered and picked up their tray, “he’s cute, admit it.” 

Usually, Levi would have been a raging mess by now, unable to control his anger when Hanji went through his personal belongings, but he had to agree that yes, Eren was indeed cute. But that didn’t change nor meant anything. They’d spoken once, _once_ and Hanji was already this close to planning their wedding. 

“You’re quiet so I’m guessing you agree but just don’t want me to hear it,” they said and patted him on the shoulder on their way back to the kitchen. “And don’t worry, he’s as gay as they come so you’re in the clear.” 

Levi’s eyes widened at that, quickly turning around to ask how the hell they knew that and realized he had fallen into one of their traps again. They winked at him with a knowing grin and Levi wished the earth would swallow him whole. 

Thursday came sooner than later and Hanji waved at him once he had gotten on the train. On Thursdays their last class ended at 1 PM, meaning they could avoid rush hour if they were quick about leaving campus. He had hastily refilled his thermos while Hanji had taken off to save him a seat in one of the compartments and he sighed in relief when he saw it wasn’t too crowded.

He maneuvered himself over the bags on the floor and managed to get to Hanji without tripping over his own two feet. “Thanks,” he murmured as he sat down next to the chipper brunet after they moved their bag out of the way.

“You’re welcome,” they sneered and he didn’t bother to roll his eyes at his friend. They had behaved themselves after the episode in the cafeteria and hadn’t made an attempt to pester him like a twelve-year-old bully the last couple of days. 

He looked up at them when they gave him a playful shove in his side, “Hm?”

“Get that shit out of your ears, it’s rude.” 

“Moby isn’t shit,” Levi argued and flicked his finger against their forehead, getting a surprised gasp in return.

“Who’s Moby? I’ve never heard of them,” a familiar voice asked. Levi cocked his head to the side to look at the intruder, eyes widening as he realized it was, in fact, the blind kid from last week and he turned to glare at a smirking Hanji. 

His friend patted him on the back and took his earbuds out for him. “Levi here is into some weird artists, but don’t ever offend his taste in music or he’ll serve your ass raw,” they snickered as Levi held his glare.

He swore they were going to regret this and slumped back into the uncomfortable train seat. He kept quiet, crossing his arms over his chest, gloomy aura building up around him. He’d deal with Hanji later. Damn right, they were going to eat shit.

“Levi, Eren asked you a question.”

Levi wrinkled his nose, losing his temper. “Hanji I swear to Satan if you don’t shut up right now I’ll shove your foot so far up your ass you’ll be able to give your tonsils a footjob.”

Hanji pressed their lips firmly together, trying to keep themselves from bursting out laughing. 

While Levi kept up his glare, his ears caught up on Eren snorting in front of him. He side-eyed the brunet, throat gone dry as he saw the pink hue covering the brunet’s cheeks. Levi stared in awe, previous anger slowly fading with every breathy laugh that slipped past the brunet’s lips 

“That would be the most action I’ve had in months,” Hanji eventually burst out laughing and it made Eren smile wider, making him blush harder and Levi wasn’t able to take his eyes off of him. Hanji noticed, of course, knowingly smirking as they sat back into the chair while the train took off but for once, Levi didn’t care. 

Every time Eren breathed in, his chest heaved and his blush crept all the way up to his ears. He wiped a tear away from his eye before trying to calm himself down by waving a hand in front of his face. “Sorry, I just- you two are something else.” 

“I take that as a compliment,” Hanji commented and gestured for Levi to speak. 

Right, he should’ve probably said something by now. Clearing his throat that felt awfully dry, “They’re a pain in the ass.”

“I think Hanji is kinda sweet though,” Eren said and Hanji winked at Levi, “a little crazy but sweet.” 

“Hey!” Hanji sat up and blinked a few times, “You’re supposed to be on my side, Eren!”

Eren giggled and Levi grinned at an offended Hanji, “That’s what you get.”

“For what? Making you socialize, you hermit.” 

Levi let out a huff of laughter and he turned back to Eren who listened to the rest of their conversation with an excited grin on his face. It was weird, Levi had to admit, but for once he wasn’t annoyed by a stranger’s presence and it seemed like his best friend knew it as they constantly wiggled their eyebrows at him. 

“Soooo, what was it again, Eren? Moby?” 

Hanji pushed their knee against Levi’s and he grumbled inaudible curses at them. He hated small talk and couldn’t be worse at it. He never knew what to say or do and it felt downright awkward if he tried. 

“Yes! I mean… you mentioned them and I thought…”

“Levi will gladly tell you more about them, won’t he?” Hanji snickered as they rested their head against the window, “And he should be quick about it if he doesn’t want to miss his stop.” 

“I swear to God,” Levi said to Hanji through gritted teeth before he turned back to Eren. _Fine. Fucking fine. Let's talk about music then. _“I usually don’t listen to techno but I like Moby.”

“I can’t say I’ve listened to a lot of techno,” Eren said with a shake of his head. “but maybe I’ll like them.”

Levi hummed in acknowledgment, feeling as if he was put on the spot and before he could turn his attention back to his friend, who most likely had a shit-eating grin on their face, Eren asked him what he had been listening to before he sat down. 

["Natural Blues." ](https://open.spotify.com/track/6hmtNel4OKlBpBcTO7ao3o?si=AuinWNcUTxqWC9bNZcNZ4w)

“Is it on Spotify? I’d like to listen to it.” 

How could he be so cheery and genuine? Levi wondered, realizing Eren was everything he lacked and he frowned as he got lost in thought. Did Hanji ask Eren to talk to him? They would’ve probably noticed he got himself back into his slump since he’d rather stay in than go back to their place so he could attempt to write. The heavy feeling in his chest twisted deeper, thank God his stop was next. He simply couldn’t breathe. 

Levi shook his head and hummed as he got up from his seat, “Yeah it is.” He swung his bag over his shoulder, muscles aching under the pressure and turned around to give Hanji the middle-finger. After he flipped them off, he took a quick look at Eren before casually telling him, “I’m getting off at the next stop, bye.” 

“Oh, okay…” Eren said and Levi was startled by how sad he looked for a brief moment before he waved him goodbye with a soft smile. “Bye, Levi.” 

As he walked home, he sent a ton of messages to Hanji, cursing their existence and shitty ass behavior and all he got in return was a winky face. Winky face, suck his ass. His head felt heavy once he opened the door to his apartment and plopped down onto his bed. The throbbing on the right side of his head grew harder and harder with every pulse and he turned to lie on his side with a heavy sigh.

A migraine, just what he needed. Groaning, he stretched an arm to close his blinds and reached in his nightstand to take his medication. As he swallowed the pills, his phone lit up and Hanji asked him what his thoughts on Eren were, but he couldn’t be bothered to reply. Eren was… nice, good even, but he didn’t feel like dealing with Shitty Glasses and couldn’t ignore the splitting headache any longer, so he decided to try to sleep the headache away.

It was six when he awoke to his stomach grumbling in protest and he stood up, wobbling to the fridge to warm up some of yesterday’s leftovers. As he leaned against the counter, he cracked his neck before his eyes set on his empty desk as if it was scolding him for not sitting down right now to work on his current stories. 

_Yeah, yeah, I’ll get to it, _he thought and took his bowl of pasta out of the microwave. Sitting down with a low thump, he alternated between taking a bite of his food and trying to find the page where had left off. Ah, a scheme. Right, his character was supposed to be torn about something during the second arc. A love interest? Boring. Work versus…

He tapped his spoon against his lips, almost hurting his teeth and he let out a frustrated groan. Every fucking time. He’d been stuck at this segment for how many weeks now? Too many to the point he had lost count and he refused to start writing out the story before his entire plan and outline were done. Goddammit.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand behind him and he turned his head so quickly a sharp pain shot into his neck, “What?!” He glared at the device but reached for it nonetheless. He grumbled under his breath as he saw it was just a dumbass Facebook invitation to Hanji’s “We’re here and we’re Queer!” party for next Friday.

_For the last time, no, _he thought before turning his attention back to his notebook and a half-empty bowl of pasta. 

Within the next few minutes he had put his forehead down against his desk, groaning and cursing the creativity inside of him that decided he wasn’t worth its time. His phone vibrated again and he instinctively grabbed it without even raising his head, cheek cradled against the cold wood.

To Levi  
From Hanji, 6.32 PM  
“Eren is taking the 7:58 train tomorrow morning ;)”

Levi put down his phone without even opening the message, the corners of his mouth daring to twitch upwards, but instead, he frowned back at his unfinished story.


	3. Chapter 3

Levi had been in a weird, gloomy mood ever since last night. Everything set him off, the ticking of his clock, the steam of his cup of black tea, the cold fall breeze that made his face sting before he got on the train, everything, and in his morning haze he had forgotten to take his earbuds with him. 

Slumping back into one of the empty seats, a groan rumbled in Levi’s chest as he realized he’d have to get through today’s lunch without his music. Maybe he should opt-out of getting lunch and just sit outside to avoid the commotion in the cafeteria. It sounded really fucking tempting. 

His phone buzzed in his front pocket and he didn’t even need to look to know it was Hanji trying to make him socialize again. 

To Levi  
From Hanji, 8:02 AM  
“Go say hi.”

He frowned and ran his hand through his hair before looking around. Eren didn’t seem to be in the same compartment and Levi didn’t know if he was actually relieved or disappointed. He shook it off and blamed today’s foul mood for his inner turmoil. 

The day couldn’t go by any slower, it really couldn’t. Maybe if he closed his eyes, time would go faster and he could get the fuck out of here. Hanji hadn’t even shown up to their political science class and Levi sat all the way in the back, crumpled in a corner with nothing to do. Democracy again. How many classes could this shitface fill with talking about the same structure as if nobody already knew what democracy entailed? He could’ve spent this time doing something useful at least, like taking a nap or work on his assignments. A nap sounded better.

Sociology didn’t go by any faster either, but he found himself staring at a familiar brunet to pass his time. As if he needed an excuse to look at someone, people stared at him all the time without as much as a reason.

While observing Eren he learned he always used his hands while explaining something. It suited him and his excitement was what Levi admired. The last time he felt excited about something had been when his favorite tea brand had been back in the grocery stores after a sudden disappearance. No, that was a lie. The last time he got enthusiastic about something had been when he had gotten his last ink which had been months ago. Maybe he should make another appointment?

Lost in his train of thought, Levi didn’t notice the professor announcing the end of the class and was only shaken back to reality when he saw Eren coming straight at him, accompanied by his two friends. Oh God, what had Hanji told them now?

“Hey!” Eren yelled eagerly and his eyes widened when he realized he had spoken a bit too loudly. Awkwardly rubbing his nape, a blush crept upon his cheeks and Levi had to swallow the lump down his throat.

Eren was… cute like this. “Hey,” he muttered and his eyes faltered between Eren and the nerd and goth standing by his sides.

“Sorry, Levi was it?” the blond chuckled and held out his hand, continuing when Levi hummed and shook it. “Manners aren’t Eren’s forté. I’m Armin and this is Mikasa, Eren’s friends.” 

“I do have manners, Ar,” Eren interrupted with an offended squeal. “Hey, Levi.”

“You already said hi, Eren.” Mikasa elbowed him in the side and Eren’s cheeks turned crimson. “It’s nice to see you, Levi. We’re going.”

Armin shook his head and gave Levi an apologetic smile as the raven took off without them. “Sorry about that, we have a train to catch.”

“Right,” Levi hummed and bit the inside of his cheek as he realized he’d be left alone with Eren as soon as the coconut would disappear. “I do too.”

“We’ll talk some other time, see you.” Armin waved as he hurried back to his friend, leaving the two to fend for themselves.

“You’re taking the train again?” Eren immediately filled the silence as Levi swung his backpack over his shoulder. “Because I’ll join you!”

Join him?

They walked fifteen minutes over campus together and Levi was surprised by how chatty Eren actually was. He hadn’t really noticed it before, not that he was disappointed, Hanji usually made sure silence didn’t fall on them. They chatted easily, something the raven hadn’t expected, but he couldn’t say he was annoyed in any way.

As they walked, the cold breeze whipped the brown mess on Eren’s head and Levi let himself appreciate how enticing the brunet actually was. Objectively, of course, nothing more. He simply liked his red nose and crimson cheeks in the cold and the many wide smiles he gave him before covering his mouth again with his dark red scarf. 

“I checked Moby out by the way,” Eren suddenly switched topics and turned his head to the side to face Levi. “It’s not what I usually listen to, but it really got to me.” 

“Got to you?” Levi raised a brow unable to keep his body from vibrating as the cold finally engulfed him. While shuffling his feet, he blew some hot air onto his purple fingertips and hoped to fucking God that the train would be here soon. He really hated the cold.

“It’s… a little sad,” Eren said after a long pause and furrowed his brows. “But not in a way it made me feel like that. I just understood.” 

Levi let out a contemplative hum and turned his attention back to the rails. Five more minutes and he’d be back into a warm train. He couldn’t keep his teeth from chattering and even Eren noticed based on the way he gave him an apologetic look.

“Are you that cold already? It’s only November,” he chuckled but stretched out his arm and Levi froze in his movements when the brunet cupped his arm. He trailed the outlines of his jacket until he gently held Levi’s hand. “Wow, you weren’t lying! Jesus fuck.”

Flabbergasted, the skin to skin contact made all of Levi’s blood rush to his face, so much that even the tips of his ears felt hot. Blinking a few times, he reminded himself to breathe under the soft gesture. 

“I guess I now know what to get you for Christmas, haha,” Eren quietly said and Levi noticed the panic in his eyes as he finally let go of his hand. “I mean, not that I need to get you something. Just if I wanted, no, if you wanted to. I mean, you’re cold so why not, right? Gloves would be nice. I- fuck, I’m bad at this and…”

Levi watched Eren try to ramble his way out of his slip up and he felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards into a crooked grin. Shit. Maybe this meant Eren was just as nervous about hanging out together as he was?

He interrupted the brunet by thanking him and was saved by the train arriving on the platform. The entire way back they didn’t elaborate further on what had happened on the platform and instead, Eren asked Levi about his music taste again. It was weird to say the very least that someone was interested in the things he liked. Levi didn’t exactly have the most common taste in, well, anything.

“You might like Depeche Mode,” Levi said, subconsciously thrumming his fingers against his knee. 

“Oh?” Eren’s face lit up. “Any songs you can recommend?”

“Enjoy the Silence.” 

Brows scrunched together, Eren cocked his head to the side. “That’s a song?” 

Levi scoffed, “Yes, I’m not telling you to shut up.” 

“Good.” Eren smiled shyly and Levi realized how much he had been looking at Eren’s features. What was he? Some kind of creep? 

Over the course of the week Levi found he had grown accustomed to Eren’s presence and while he questioned every single thing he felt and thought, he also didn’t stop himself from enjoying talking to the brunet and getting to know him.

He learned Eren was an only child, his father was a doctor and his mother his assistant nurse, he was born in Germany but unfortunately didn’t speak the language even though he really wanted to. He had lost his sight at the age of ten and even though there was a time he was able to see, he had forgotten almost everything about it. When they talked about his disability, Levi noticed the mood change and opted for asking about other parts of his life. His favorite book was Harry Potter, and Levi asked him how he was able to read it or if someone read it to him.

“Audiobooks,” Eren explained and rested his chin on his hand while Levi finished his lunch. “They’re quite common. Did you ever see the movies?”

Levi hummed and saw Eren’s face light up like that of a child. “Oh my God, really? Did you like them?”

“Clearly not as much as you.”

“I’m obviously a Gryffindor, what house are you in?”

“No idea.”

“I demand you go to Pottermore right now and do the sorting hat test, quiz, something.”

“Wow, you’re already demanding shit?” Levi let out a breathy laugh and Eren’s eyes widened in response, his well-known blush creeping back onto his nose and cheeks. 

Eren grumbled, pouting, “I mean you don’t have to.” 

Letting out a fake sigh, Levi took out his phone and decided to let Eren have his little fun. “Power to read minds.”

“Really? Not talking to animals?”

Levi looked up from his phone with a questioning gaze and snorted when he realized that Eren had in fact been joking. “Birds bother me enough already.”

Eren laughed, “I have this pigeon who seriously comes to my window every morning and just starts going ham on my balcony.”

“What?”

“No, I’m not joking. Stop laughing at me!” Eren shoved him playfully before he continued. “He picks at the rails and it always wakes me up when I don’t have morning lectures. Maybe I should get a cat.”

“Or just wear earplugs?” 

“Well, that’s kinda scary for someone who’s blind, isn’t it?”

“Fuck.” Levi shook his head, of course, he had to say something insensitive. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”

Smiling, Eren reached for his shoulder and squeezed it. “It’s okay.”

“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?”

Levi let out a deep sigh, he didn’t even have to turn around to it was Hanji with their obnoxiously loud voice.

“Hanji, hey!”

They patted Eren on the back before they grabbed one of the empty chairs and dragged it to where Eren and Levi were sitting. Forming a bridge with their hands, Hanji rested their chin onto it while looking at Levi directly in his eyes. “So, Levi. What house are you in?”

He blinked a few times. “What?” Hanji gestured to his phone and he realized he never finished the quiz. “Fucking creep.”

“Not a creep, just observant.” They grinned and turned their attention back to Eren who feigned offense. 

“Oh my God, Levi, finish it.” 

Hanji tapped Eren’s hand. “He’s probably a Slytherin, don’t ya think?”

“I mean, most likely.”

Rolling his eyes while the two giggled, Levi mumbled his result. They’d revel in this shit.

“See! You’re a classic Slytherin, Levi.” 

“Shut it, Shitty Glasses.”

“My, my, Levi. What happened to your manners? No need to be so harsh.”  
  
Levi sighed. “Did you just come here to be a pain in my ass?”

“Actually…” Hanji pursed their lips. “I was planning to persuade you into coming to my party and you’ve been avoiding my texts so I had no other choice.”

Levi ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. “I don’t like partying,” he started explaining but was immediately silenced by Hanji interrupting him by pointing out he was just being a sourpuss.

Levi slumped back into his chair, still feeling uncomfortable under their scrutiny. It took all of his willpower to not tell Hanji off right now in front of Eren. 

“Come on, Levi. If not for me, do it for Eren.” 

Levi’s eyes shot up at that and was struck by how enthusiastic Eren suddenly was, like a cute puppy. “Yes, please, Leviiiiii. Come to the party, it’ll be fun!”

“I doubt it,” he grumbled but couldn’t help but feel something tugging in his chest.

In the end, he had admitted his defeat and told both of them he’d maybe drop by to say hi. Hanji had nodded, failing to hide their amusement and had taken off after wiggling their eyebrows at him; at least they had had the decency to use a silent cue so Eren wouldn’t have been dragged into their bullshit.

After getting home, Levi plopped down onto his bed and reached for his earbuds, sleep tugging at his eyelids as Eurythmics spoke louder than the nagging, overthinking voice in the back of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts! I love to read them and I'll hopefully see you at the next one! It might take me a little longer to update this time because it'll be a longer-complicated ish chapter but I'm so looking forward to writing it, you have no idea <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you beans don't check fanfic tags: I just added the recreational drug use warning!
> 
> The rating also went from T to M *wink wink*

Hanji fell into a coughing fit after their last drag of Levi’s bong, and Levi chuckled as he let his head lull back against the arm of his couch. They had skipped their afternoon lectures and had decided it was the greatest idea on the planet to get as high as possible before Hanji had to get their apartment party proof.

“So how’s that sociology prof this year?”

“Do you have cheese in your ears, dickwit? He’s an ass.”

“Dickwit. That’s a new one.” Hanji nodded and coughed again before digging their hand into the big bag of Cheetos. “I should really do my thesis about him.”

Levi’s eyes drifted off in the distance, “Narcissist or Boomer, that is the question.”

“Wow, I should really write that down, that’s damn near perfect.”

“Credit me in your bio.”

“Credit to Shortstack.”

“I swear to God, you’re such a pain.”

Hanji giggled, handing Levi the bag of Doritos. “Nah, you love me.”

Groaning, he took a handful of chips and practically inhaled them. This was what he had been craving for weeks. A moment to fucking relax. Deadlines had been killing him.

“Speaking of love…”

“Don’t you dare.” Levi glared at them, withholding the bag of chips for emphasis. 

Pouting, Hanji let their body fall beside Levi and made a move to rest their cheek on his shoulder before the raven pushed them to the opposite end of the sofa. “You’re no fun.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Touché.” They nodded in agreement, faintly offended. “But come on, Levi. Talk to me.”

“I am,” Levi said before he looked at them out of the corner of his eye and burst out laughing.

“What now?” Hanji squealed, and in their high state almost fell off the couch which made tears sting in the corners of Levi’s eyes.

“You got fucking… Cheetos in your hair,” Levi said after a pause, trying to catch his breath. “Do you ever wash yourself?”

“In fact, I do. Every morning,” they said proudly while prompting themself back next to their friend. “But do not change the topic. Talk to me.”

Hanji gave him their worthless puppy eyes while holding up their hands in prayer. They were really a pain in his ass. What was he supposed to say? That he liked spending time with Eren? If he’d admit that, they’d try to set them up and if Levi had to be honest, he just wanted to see where this would go. He wasn’t really a person to rush into anything and while yes, Eren was cute, and he wanted to do… something, that didn’t mean he’d actually ask him out. He couldn’t even say they were friends at this point, rather acquaintances, and he didn’t even know if Eren was remotely interested in something other than just being friends on campus.

A slap at the back of his head stopped his fruitless overthinking, and he squinted at his friend. “What was that for? Shithead.”

“Get. Out. Of. Your. Head,” Hanji said, tapping their index finger against Levi’s forehead with every word. “You are ruining a perfectly good opportunity to get to know someone because yet again, you can’t stop overanalyzing every single thing in your life.”

“Cut the psychology talk, Hanji.” He crossed his arms over his chest. They were right, there had been multiple occasions where he could’ve had something and he had pushed them all aside (or rather away) because in his head they were either a) not good enough or b) too good for him. 

Launching forward, Hanji wrapped their arms around his neck. “Then let me help yooouuu!” 

“Ears, Hanji,” he hissed and tried to escape from their hold. 

“Oh hush.” They attempted to give him a peck on his cheek before they were being pushed back to their end of the couch. “But seriously, let me help you this time. Please?”

Levi sighed, shoulders sagging as Hanji continued talking.

“Come on, Shortstack. He’s cute isn’t he?”

“If that’s your type.”

“So, you’re saying you don’t like an enthusiastic, bright, cute, tall, and absolutely gorgeous man?”

When Levi opened his mouth, he fell silent, and Hanji wiggled their eyebrows in response. “I think I’ve made my point.” After standing up, they reached for their bag. “But before I go and get my place ready you have to promise me you’re coming tonight.”

“Hanji…” He warned, but they swatted their finger nonetheless. 

“No, you’re coming. I’m not telling you to fuck his brains out, dumbass. Just come say hi, he’ll appreciate it and_ I_ will appreciate it.”

At a quarter past eleven, Levi begrudgingly knocked on his friend’s door, and they eagerly pulled him into their apartment. As soon as the door opened, the bass of the music vibrated in his chest and a combination of alcohol and weed hit his nose. 

“Leviii,” Hanji slurred, wrapping their arms around his neck before they were shoved to the side. “I’m so glad you came, and you look absolutely dashiiing.”

Levi rolled his eyes and took off his leather jacket, he wasn’t wearing anything fancy; his usual black jeans and an oversized shirt. Even if the lights were dimmed, he still observed it was a rather low scale party; cliques of people in every corner while fewer were dancing in the middle of Hanji’s living room. “You probably still have Cheetos in your hair.” 

“Most likely,” they grinned while dragging their friend towards the drink table at the left side of the room. Handing him a red cup, they filled it with a generous amount of beer before shoving it into his face. “Here, liquid courage.”

“Why would I-”

“Eren’s over there, by the way.” Hanji pointed at the opposite end of the room, near the balcony and as Levi followed their finger, he almost choked on his drink when he saw Eren and his friends were already staring at him.

“Great,” he mumbled under his breath and received a couple of pats on his back. 

“I might’ve mentioned you were coming to Mikasa and Armin,” Hanji said and turned on their heels. “Also wish me luuuuck, Moblit is here.”

“Keep it in your pants.”

“You better do too,” they said with a wink, and Levi had to suppress the urge to give them a smack on the back of their head. 

Parties already weren’t his thing, let alone if he knew Hanji would be trying to get it on with their month-long crush which meant they couldn’t be his buffer or translator.

He took a large gulp from his drink, inspecting Eren from afar; he wore a wine-red button-up shirt with black pants and dress shoes. From the looks of it, he had even taken the time to tame the brown wild mess on his head. Levi chuckled at the thought before letting out a long breath. He could do this. After a few long strides, he found himself standing next to Eren as his friends made small talk.

“Nice to see you again, Levi,” Armin said while holding out his hand, smiling politely when Levi reluctantly shook it. “Eren has been telling so much about you.”

Eren groaned at his friend, but as soon as he opened his mouth Mikasa swooped in. “He said you have quite the taste in music.”

Slowly nodding, Levi took a large gulp of his drink. “Right.” God, he really hated small talk. At least they weren’t asking him about the fucking weather.

“As if that’s all he sai- Auw!”

Levi blinked a few times as he saw Eren’s palm connecting to the side of Armin’s face and he snickered in his beer. Well, that was surprising.

“So, Levi, for how long have you been on campus?” Armin asked instead, rubbing his sore cheek while side-eying the brunet. 

“For three years.”

“So, you’re finishing up your bachelors?” Mikasa added and Armin elbowed her in the side. “What?”

“‘Kasa, that’s rude t-”

“I am,” Levi interrupted and finished the last of his beer. “I’m going for a refill.” 

As he left to the drink stand, there were a few hissed words being interchanged before he heard Eren calling his name. When he turned back around, he realized Eren had taken out his walking stick and had started walking towards him. The end of the stick hit the tip of Levi’s foot, and Levi raised an eyebrow after Eren kept tapping it. “Yeah, it’s me.”

“Oh my God.” Eren covered his mouth in embarrassment, shaking his head. “I thought you were a pole, and I wanted to walk past it. I’m so sorry!”

Levi chuckled. “It’s fine. Do you uh…”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want me to say something next time? I don’t really know how it works,” he admitted and felt an uncomfortable twist knotting his stomach. He absolutely hated how ignorant he was about Eren’s blindness, but he didn’t want to intrude. He should’ve googled some stuff beforehand. 

“Audio cues are a must,” Eren started explaining. “But right now it wouldn’t really work with all the noise here. Why?”

“I want to make it easier for you,” Levi said without as much as a thought and if it weren’t for the wide smile the brunet gave him, he would’ve probably wanted to the earth to swallow him whole.

“That’s sweet. Thank you, Levi.” Quiet fell over them for a minute before Eren changed topics to lighten the mood. “Is the beer any good?”

“It’s decent.” 

“Ar’ gave me some tequila, but that tasted terrible.” Eren made a face of disgust and Levi chuckled.

“That just tastes like petrol,” he said before handing Eren his cup. “You can try some. If you like it, I’ll get you more.”

Frozen, Eren blinked a few times and smiled awkwardly. “You sure?” 

The raven hummed and watched Eren take a small gulp, his face twisting in confusion but followed by delight. 

“It’s good.” Eren smiled.

When Eren made a move to hand him back the cup, Levi insisted he could keep it and tapped his shoulder, telling him he’d go fetch another cup. Not that he needed another drink, he wasn’t particularly thirsty, he just wanted something to do rather than stand in silence next to the brunet. 

He couldn’t exactly pinpoint the way he felt. Restless? Hints of anxiety here and there? Whatever it was, it could fight him. He really didn’t need any of those bullshit emotions tonight. He stood upright, determined to not let his overthinking mind keep him from enjoying his night off and walked towards the drink table. Hanji hadn’t bothered him in a while, meaning they were probably getting it on with Moblit. Good for them, he thought.

“Eren?” Levi said after he had come back to the brunet.

“Hi, I didn’t _see_ you there.” Eren laughed, cackling loudly when he heard Levi curse and almost choke on his beer. “What? I thought it was a good one.”

“It was,” Levi said, still coughing and he gave himself a few pats on his chest to calm down. Jesus fuck, he really hadn’t seen that one coming. He was rewarded with a smile again, and he blamed the light buzz he had going from the beer for the subtle heat he felt in his face.

“That’s how you know when someone really doesn’t care you’re blind. They laugh at your jokes,” Eren said, letting out a puff of air as he shook his head. “Or you know, choke like you just did.”

“Fucking brat.” Levi playfully shoved him away and couldn’t suppress the corners of his mouth twitching upwards any longer. He laughed, genuinely and instantly realized his mistake when Eren’s face lit up in surprise, looking like a puppy who had just gotten a praise. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh before,” Eren enthused, using all kinds of hand gestures as he always did when he got excited. Still adorable.

Levi grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes. 

“Sorry, what?” Eren asked. 

“I didn’t exactly say anything.”

“Can we go outside, though? I can’t always hear you properly.”

“Oh, of course,” Levi said and made a move to point towards the glass doors leading to the balcony but stopped himself. He still had to get used to that. “We can go to the terrace. If you turn around, it’s a bit to your left, but I’ll lead.”

They walked out of the living room to the balcony, the cold fall breeze hitting them both with much force. Eren laughed when he heard Levi’s teeth clattering again. “Want me to get your coat?”

Levi raised an eyebrow, he really needed to catch his breath, and while yes, he was already fucking freezing, the cold but burning air filling his lungs was much appreciated. “No, I’m good.”

“Are you sure?” Eren reached his arm for the rails, tapping his fingertips against the metal bar. Audio cues, Levi remembered and observed how Eren found his way to the rails, resting an elbow on it.

“Hey, Levi.” Eren fumbled awkwardly with the hem of his shirt.

“Yes?” 

“I know you’re not supposed to ask, but what do you…” He shook his head, snorting subtly which made fondness tug at Levi’s heart. “This sounds so fancy, but what do you identify as?”

Levi huffed, “Now you’ve offended me,” and fell into a fit of laughter when Eren’s eyes widened in pure horror. “I’m joking, kid. I’m gay.”

“Oh… cool.”

Silence briefly fell over them, and the raven looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye, thrumming his fingers along the metal bars. For someone whose eyes didn’t… work, Eren had a way of looking at him which made him feel… something. He couldn’t put his finger on it though, let alone know if the feeling was pleasant. “So, what about you?” 

“Just gay.” Eren nodded and brought his cup back to his lips, downing it in one last go.

Watching Eren’s Adam's apple bob up and down, Levi’s throat went dry, and as he gripped on the rail tighter he muttered, “Just gay then.”

Smiling awkwardly, Eren pointed to his empty drink. “You also want a refill?” 

“Fuck yes,” Levi replied instantly, he needed more alcohol to numb his nerves.

Eren giggled before Levi took his empty drink out of his hand and went inside to get them both another refill. Back outside, Levi handed Eren his cup, the short skin to skin contact making his heart involuntarily hammer against his ribcage. Fuck. 

“Say, Eren,” Levi broke the silence after a while, holding his cup with his teeth as he grabbed his pack of cigarettes filled with pre-rolled joints out of his back pocket. “Do you smoke?”

“Is it that obvious I’ve never tried it?” 

“I just figured.” Levi joined Eren’s laughter with a soft chuckle. “You want to try it?”

Eagerly nodding his head, Eren took a small drag of his joint and fell into a fit of coughs and snorts. The smoke he exhaled made his eyes water, and Levi couldn’t help but grin.

The raven patted him on the back as he took the joint out of his hand. The calming effect taking over his body, he let his hand linger on Eren’s shoulder and let himself appreciate the subtle flexing of muscles and the radiating heat from under his hand. He just couldn’t be fucked anymore. 

He froze when Eren moved his hand towards his and placed it on top of it, but he didn’t pull away even though he felt his heart go into overdrive for a split second, pounding against his ribcage as if it was trying to escape. 

“Isn’t this the band you made me listen to?” 

Eren’s voice was shaken and fragile, making an unexplainable need to protect rile up in Levi, and he cocked his head to the side to get a good look at the boy he had, yes, been subconsciously crushing on. How did he let it come this far? The reason was unknown to him, but the mixture of booze and marijuana made him not care about a single thing. This was nice, and who was he to deprive himself of something as normal as this?

He had never lied, Eren was easy on the eyes. Cute, even. It was beyond adorable the way his cheeks flushed red whenever they’d talk. Crimson suited him, Levi thought and observed Eren’s blush creeping all the way up to his ears when he moved his hand to gently trail up to his neck and cheeks. 

“It is.” Levi hummed, [Personal Jesus](https://open.spotify.com/track/4UCTgh5jvtqoaMX6MAhUNn?si=Shao_301SsS_gHGbg4GFOQ) continuing to play in the background, “Depeche Mode to be precise.”

Eren shivered under his touch, biting his lip to the point he was close to breaking the skin, and Levi didn’t want that. He let his blunt fall to the ground and cupped Eren’s burning cheeks with both hands. He probably shouldn’t go any further, ease into it but his daze overrode all logical thought.

“Your hands are cold again,” Eren whispered, smiling softly, letting his own hands wander and trail the dips and curves of Levi’s ink-covered arms. It was a shame Eren would never be able to see them. 

Levi hummed and reached up to place one of his hands on Eren’s nape. “Weren’t you going to buy me some mittens?”

Swallowing thickly, Eren chuckled before he let his hand rest on Levi’s hip. “I will.”

Eren made Levi’s heart race in ways he never imagined it could. He’d had feelings for people before, but nothing compared to what he felt around Eren. A fun, flirtatious yet nervous feeling he would probably never get used to. 

He shook his head, now wasn’t the time to let his mind go into overdrive. Hanji had told him to get out of his head anyways. The liquid courage burned through him, and he softly scraped the back of Eren’s neck, earning a soft whimper in return as he pulled him down to his level, letting the brunet close the final distance between them; wanting him to have the option of getting out if he wanted to.

Without a word, Eren gripped Levi’s waist and pressed their lips together in a slow, tentative kiss. Levi’s hand twisted the front of his hoodie to pull him even closer, letting himself go into the lip lock. They both tasted like beer, and Eren’s lips were a little chapped but also soft, pliant, and it was everything Levi could’ve hoped for. He savored the taste of Eren’s mouth, blown away by how easily he could forget where they were when he was kissing Eren. 

“I didn’t know you had a lip piercing,” Eren panted between kisses.

“Watch it. It’s still sensitive.” Levi grinned before pulling Eren’s body flush against his own, letting his tongue slip past Eren’s lips as he gasped in surprise. Tickling the roof of his mouth, he got a soft moan in response, and he let his free hand wander upwards over Eren’s torso. Appreciatively humming into the kiss, he roamed his hand up to his sides, ghosting over his shoulders, along his jaw, and through his soft hair.

Without a warning, Eren bucked his hips against his, and a filthy groan slipped past Levi’s lips as his cock received the friction it needed. It caught him by surprise, but Eren was hard too and they moved together in a feverish pace, alternating between pants and discovering each other’s mouths as Eren’s hips kept jutting forward, but Levi didn’t even think of complaining.

He grazed his teeth over Eren’s jawline before nipping at the tanned skin between his neck and collarbone when Eren tapped him on his shoulder before pulling away with a soft whimper.

“Hm?” Looking at the boy, another shot of arousal coursed through him; his hair was disheveled, face as red as a tomato, eyes glassy, and lips red, slicked with saliva. Beautiful.

“I…” Eren attempted to catch his breath. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Okay,” Levi said, an uncomfortable pull tugging in his chest before Eren planted a quick kiss on his cheek and left to go back inside.

Laughter and music from the party inside were drowned by Levi’s thoughts as he waited for Eren to come back. That was if the brunet would even come back.

He was left alone on the balcony, the warm buzz in his chest turning cold with every minute that passed. He should probably get back to the party, but deep down he thought he deserved to be alone.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the soon to be psychologist who liked to put their nose where it didn’t belong opened the glass doors and joined him on the balcony. 

“Fancy seeing you here, Levi,” Hanji said with a pat on his back. “Where’s Eren?”

“Just left.” Levi looked at his hands that were loosely hanging over the rails, the tips of his fingers turning purple. “Where’s Moblit?”

“Passed the fuck out. I really shouldn’t have given him that lost shot of tequila,” Hanji contemplated and lit up a cig. “Want one?”

Shaking his head, he let out a sigh before replying to his friend. “You really shouldn’t have.”

“Ouch. That was a long one, even for you.” Hanji patted him on the back again, and when Levi didn’t protest they scrunched their brows together in confusion and let their hand rest on his shoulder. “How did it go with Eren?”

Levi didn’t look up from his hands. “I have no fucking clue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts! Feed the writer <3


	5. Chapter 5

Levi awoke at dawn, the images of last night still vividly engraved in his brain. He never should’ve let himself go like that, let alone pull Eren into this mess. He sighed, his body felt heavy and the covers on his bed made him feel trapped. Lovely claustrophobia, he thought before gathering the energy to roll out of bed.

Maybe if he kept himself busy enough, he could just forget about last night’s kiss, but of course, he was wrong about that. As soon as he grabbed his phone, it vibrated in his hand and Hanji’s name violently flashed on the screen. 

“They’re never up this early,” Levi mumbled and put his phone on his desk, watching it ring till it finally went to voicemail. Hanji was probably still as high as a kite and- actually, he didn’t need an excuse. He just really didn’t want to fucking talk to anyone right now. He just needed to go to work and earn some coin.

Not even a minute after, Hanji’s name flashed on his screen again.

Hanji, 1min ago  
“Bich i kno ure awake pic uuuuup”

Levi rolled his eyes and hesitated a moment before he stretched his arm and picked up his phone. 12 unread messages, what the hell? 10 of them were from Hanji, probably explaining how things had gone with Moblit or asking how they could get the stains out of their carpet, and 2 of them were from… Eren. 

His stomach dropped when he saw his name with the black heart next to it staring back at him. Hanji must’ve also given him his number, and he couldn’t stop himself from opening the new messages.

To Levi  
From Eren ♡, 01.12 AM  
“Hey! It’s Eren. Armin suddenly got sick so we immediately left.”

That still wasn’t an excuse. He couldn’t have spared one minute to come to say goodbye properly? Bulllshit excuse, Levi thought. He felt anger bubble in his stomach, an uncomfortable tingling that spread through his limbs as if his bones itched. Shivering, he read the next message while breathing heavily through his nose.

To Levi  
From Eren ♡, 01.40 AM  
“We just got home, Armin is puking his guts out haha. Sorry I didn’t say anything before we left.”

He should reply, probably, most likely. He blinked at his phone screen a couple of times, making sure he was calm and composed before he hit ‘reply’.

_ It’s Levi. _

Of course, he knew it was him, fucking dumbass. 

_ I got home safely too. _

That should do it. Simple, straightforward, while also not accepting Eren’s apology. Texted sorries were shit and never meant anything. If Eren felt the need to explain himself or apologize, he could do so when they’d see each other again. That was at least what Levi was planning to do. He had let himself go into the kiss, most likely went a little too fast and while they probably wouldn’t even become a thing after this, he should still apologize.

Arriving at work, he asked the strawberry blonde assistant for his schedule. Petra informed him he had three open spots which meant he could work out by himself in between his appointments. He had to deal with two clients in the morning and coach a kid in the afternoon.

After finishing up Nicole’s appointment, he went for lunch with a fellow coach.

“Got enough tips?” Mike asked as he took a sip of his protein shake. 

Mike was a heavy weight lifter and dealt with his own fair share of ogglers during working hours. Honestly, they were both used to it by this point, but their friendship was purely based on the fact that they shared their experiences with each other.

“Plenty,” Levi said before he took a bite of his premade sandwiches. “Peter always leaves 20 extra. You?”

“Actually, not too many today.” 

Levi raised an intrigued brow. “Wow, that’s a first.”

Nodding, Mike hummed in thought. “I had a normal client for once. Maybe Hanji knows them, they go to your college.”

“They?” Levi asked.

Mike nodded again. “Yes, they.”

“Cool.” Levi also nodded his head. “What’s their name?”

“Nanaba.”

His piercer, huh. The raven didn’t reply and they went back to finishing their schedules for the day. After his appointments, Mike had asked Levi to be his spotter for a few exercises. He stood behind the muscular blond as he got into position on the bench press. “Ready?”

Mike nodded and started lifting the bar, exhaling loudly every time he pushed the weights away from his chest. In between sessions, they talked about Mike’s new acquaintance, and Levi realized that for once Mike was actually interested in someone. He didn’t have a huge record of dates or relationships. His last one was with Erwin before he moved to a different country, so as a friend, he should probably offer some help in getting him to go on a date with Nanaba. 

“I can ask Hanji on Monday,” he said as he caught the bar and carefully placed it back on the holders. “If you’d like.”

Out of breath, the blond wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat on the edge of the bench, hands loosely hanging between his knees. “That’d be nice, Shortstack.”

  
  


On Monday, Levi hadn’t stopped thinking about the kiss for two days straight. No one had ever caught his interest before as Eren had done, and during his daily shower, his cock swelled at the thought of Eren’s lips back on his own. His release crashed over him within minutes, and he hid his face in the crook of his elbow as he let the water do its work. 

Damn him.

Hanji hadn’t stopped texting him all weekend, and today was no exception. He had at least 50 new messages from Shitty Glasses. He let his body sink in the hard train seat and rested his head against the window. On top of all the bullshit, sleep had been avoiding him. Over the course of the weekend, he had found himself constantly falling asleep for less than an hour, followed by waking up terrified and fighting for air without remembering the dream.

He went through fads like these every couple of months and he blamed his emotional turmoil. Seriously, who even wanted feelings? They weren’t good for anything.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here.” The voice that was usually so cheerful deadpanned to his left. “Thought you were dead, asshole.” 

Groaning, Levi slumped even further into the seat and turned his body away from Hanji’s voice. 

“No, no, no. You don’t get to mope right now. What the fuck, Levi?” Hanji said, voice lacking emotion and if Levi had to be honest, it scared the shit out of him. His friend was always cheerful, full of energy and the only time they’d ever talked to him like this was after Kenny had finally kicked the bucket and Levi had gone into social isolation for a week straight. 

“Fuck off.” 

Their hand connected to the back of his head. “That’s enough.”

Levi’s eyes widened in response and when he looked at his friend, he felt the black hole in his chest drop. Fuck, they looked wretched, miserable even. 

They waited for him to say something, but no sound came out of his throat despite opening his mouth. Hanji sighed, still towering over him as they started explaining. “You’re selfish, you know that? I was worried sick about you this weekend, hell, I even dropped by your apartment and you didn’t even open the goddamn door. I’m not finished,” they said, voice stern and slightly raised when Levi made a move to interject. “Poseidon died, by the way, in case you were wondering why I look like absolute shit. Not that you’d care, you’re in your own little world of self-pity. Get a grip.” 

Levi swallowed thickly, suppressing the urge to yell back at Hanji and looked away instead. “I’m sorry about your turtle. We’ll talk later.”

“We’ll talk now.” Hanji pointed their index finger at him, fuming with anger but still collected in the way they explained their side of the story. “I’m sorry Eren left, but you’re not the only one who’s going through shit here, Levi. Moblit had too much tequila, and you wanna know what the fuck he said in his sleep? Some girl’s name who, and I checked, wasn’t his mom or a relative. You see me shutting you out?”

“No,” Levi said, he was tired of this conversation already. “You know this is the way I cope, and it sucks it didn’t work out with Moblit.”

“Does that mean I just gotta sit here and accept it? I needed my friend and you decided to close yourself off.”

It hurt. That was the only way he could describe it. Looking back on it, he should’ve appreciated Hanji more and he should’ve been there for them but should should should. It was in the past now, and there was nothing he could do about it. Sighing heavily, he tried to speak past the lump in his throat. “I said I was sorry.”

“What am I supposed to do with a sorry?” 

“Nothing.”

“Then why bother apologizing?”

“Because I am sorry,” Levi said, anger coming back up again. Glaring at them out of the corner of his eye, he said with a low composed voice, “Either you accept my apology or you don’t.”

Hanji threw their hands up in the air, tears starting to form in their eyes. “Who says you’re not going to do this again?”

“Shit,” Levi cursed under his breath. He never wanted to see his best friend cry, let alone be the cause of it. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t keep apologizing.”

“How about you promise me to get better?” 

When Levi stayed silent, Hanji took it as a sign to explain. “When you actually feel sad, you tell me about it. That’s the first step.”

“Hanji I-”

“You will just tell me when you feel like shit. I’m not expecting you to actually talk about it, but I’d like to know so this doesn’t happen again.”

“I don’t see the point.”

He really didn’t.

“It’s called growth, Shortstack.”

“Oh shut it.” Levi chuckled as they patted him on his shoulder. “Okay, that’s enough.”

They giggled softly when Levi swatted their hand away and instead they grabbed onto the pole to keep themself from falling face-first on their friend as the train took off. “So, we got a deal?”

“I don’t know, Hanji,” Levi said and made a move to open his mouth again but was met with a serious glare. “I’ll try, maybe.”

“I take that maybe as a yes, if you wanna avoid my wrath, you better keep yourself to your promise.”

Fights with Hanji weren’t frequent, let alone this intense, but luckily it had faded quickly and they were back to their usual self by lunchtime. They chatted about upcoming deadlines and meetings with clients while Levi finished the last of his Sunday’s leftovers. 

Hanji asked him what he was going to do about the whole Eren situation, and Levi explained how he was planning to apologize for possibly going too fast on the balcony.

“So you’re not angry at him?” they asked as they slurped on their iced coffee. 

Levi’s brows shot up into his hairline. “Oh, I am.”

“Figured.” Hanji nodded. “So, are you going to confront him about it?”

“We’ll see.”

“Well, think fast because you’re probably seeing him today.”

Levi sighed. “Don’t remind me. What about Moblit?”

“I’ll talk to him once I’m less…” Hanji paused for a few seconds, forming a bridge with their hands and resting their chin on it. “Less floopy.”

“Floopy,” Levi said flatly and Hanji chuckled.

“It’s a _ Friends _ reference.”

Humming in acknowledgment, he straightened his back and they both left the cafeteria lost in thought. Hanji went to their afternoon practica and Levi, instead, decided to spend his afternoon in the library to work on his assignments. He wasn’t one to usually skip class, but deadlines had been eating at him and he’d rather finish them now than spend hours sweating his ass off in case he couldn’t meet the word limit. 

The library consisted of two floors, both filled with racks of scientific research books in the middle of the large room. There were at least ten rows of long, white tables on each side of the library, on both floors, with outlets in the middle of each table. The stairs connecting both sections were insufferably loud, and Levi’s combat boots sounded as if he was tumbling down the stairs with every step he took.

During library hours, Levi noticed Armin had taken a seat in the far right corner at the opposite end of the room while he was seated near the computers in the front. Honestly, he didn’t have any issues with the coconut. It was Eren who had been rude to him, the blond didn’t decide to get sick; if that even had been true. 

Stop the paranoia, he told himself before putting in his earbuds for the first time today and listened to [Pixies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49FB9hhoO6c) while he filled in the tables he needed to attach to his pdf file. 

_ Your head will collapse _

_ But there’s nothing in it _

_ And you’ll ask yourself _

_ Where is my mind? _

He took his pen between his lips like a cigarette and realized that for once, he actually craved a smoke break. Even if he’d allow himself this, he told himself to finish this segment of his assignment first before going outside for a quick break.

Leaning back in his chair, he tapped his pen against the desk until the buzzing of his phone interrupted his fruitless brainstorming. Subconsciously, he had hoped Eren had texted him and he realized how his deep attachment to the boy was. God fucking dammit.

He didn’t finish the chart before he grabbed his things and went outside, through the backdoor of the campus. Back facing the cafeteria, he lit up his cigarette and let the smoke warm up his lungs. He had been craving the slight burn and rush of nicotine, brief relief washed over him and he relished in it. 

[ _ But I’m not sleeping _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve8WePILXeM)

_ I’m not sleeping _

_ I’m not leaving here _

_ For you _

He closed his eyes, letting his head rest against the brick wall, the tension in his shoulders slowly fading.

_ You’re all I need _

_ Why can’t you see it’s in the air now _

_ You’re all I know _

Something hard tapped against the side of his shoe, and he peeked through his eyelashes, taking in a large breath when he realized Eren stood in front of him; face hidden in his black scarf. Armin probably told him he had gone outside, Levi figured. 

“Hey,” Eren said with a soft smile, and the tip of his nose instantly turned red from the outside cold.

Levi furrowed his brows, denying the warm feeling that spread through his chest again. “Hey?”

“How were classes today?”

Really, small talk, Eren? 

“Fine,” Levi mumbled while taking out his earbuds. “Yours?” 

“Oh God, don’t get me started.” Eren threw up his hands. “Did you ever have prof. Koster? No? I feel like he has it out for me. Every time he asks a question to the class he picks me out and I don’t even raise my hand!” 

“Ernst? Hanji had him in their first year.” 

Shit. Speaking of Hanji, he had totally forgotten about Mike’s request. He took out his phone and quickly tapped on the messages icon to text them. 

“I think so,” Eren said and continued to ramble about his class. “Hanji did tell me he always picks out a few students to ask questions to, but who even thinks of asking me anything? Haha, I can’t even read the powerpoint.”

To Hanji  
From Levi, 2:05 PM  
“Are you close with Nanaba?”

“Levi?”

The raven looked up from his phone and was met with a slightly confused look. “Yes?”

“Were you even listening?” Eren asked, and Levi noticed a change in his voice.

“You were talking about prof. Koster,” Levi said, voice low as he tried to read the boy’s body language; he stood in front of him with crossed arms, half of his face hidden again in his scarf, but he could feel the frustration radiating off of him. 

Eren paused for a second, taking in a deep breath as he shook his head. “I was and then I asked you how your weekend was.” 

“Oh,” Levi replied. “It was fine. You alright?”

Eren’s eyes narrowed. “I’m just great. I love getting ignored for a whole weekend after making out. Fucking amazing.”

Levi had never heard Eren curse before and he couldn’t stop himself from laughing despite still being upset with Eren. 

Levi’s laughter startled Eren and he hid his face even more in his scarf. “What’s so funny?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say fuck.” Levi wheezed, trying to catch his breath. 

Quiet fell over them and the raven realized now was the time to both confront Eren about Friday while still making sure he hadn’t crossed any boundaries. “About Friday, though. Did I go too far?”

“What kind of question is that?” Eren shoved his hands into his coat pockets and Levi caught a glimpse of crimson on his cheeks. He was embarrassed?

“Well, you just took off. Maybe the kiss shouldn’t have happened.”

Eren quickly faced him again. “Do you mean that?”

“I-” Levi paused, his throat felt impossibly dry, and the sudden burn in his fingers made him realize he was still holding his cigarette. He took one quick last drag and threw it on the concrete ground while he tried to sound as composed as possible. “I don’t want you to think I took advantage of you.”

“Just because I can’t see doesn’t mean it is easy to take advantage of me,” Eren said, irritation thick in his voice. “I wanted it to happen so I let it.”

“Then why did you leave?” 

“Ar got sick. Or do you suddenly have trouble reading?” 

Levi’s brows shot up into his hairline and he pressed his lips firmly together. Eren wasn’t only cute, he was fierce too and while this conversation wasn’t exactly in his top three favorites, he couldn’t help but feel even more attracted to the brunet. 

Eren’s brows furrowed in determination. “Well?”

“I don’t.” Levi stood slowly, back no longer resting against the wall, and Eren’s eyes widened when he heard Levi had taken a step closer. “I was pretty fucking angry at you leaving like that. It was rude and I don’t do rude.”

“Well I’m sorry but I... I texted you after,” Eren retorted, taken aback by Levi’s bluntness. “And you only replied once. You didn’t text me back after.”

Levi rolled his eyes. “Boohoo, you could’ve also called if you really wanted to speak to me.”

“I wasn’t going to be the first to call.” 

Levi noticed Eren had made a move to stretch his arm and took it upon himself to make the first move instead. Straightening his back, he carefully placed his hand on Eren’s hip. “I wasn’t going to be either.” 

The voice in his head yelled at him to not let this happen, that he’d get hurt if he continued but he wanted this. He’d do it right this time, no weed, no alcohol.

He gripped Eren’s waist and lifted his hand to Eren’s face, pulling down the fabric covering his nose and mouth before he cupped his cheek. He leaned forward, stopping a few inches away from Eren’s face. “You sure you want this? No running away this time.”

Eren shivered under his fingertips, and his breath puffed against Levi’s lips. “I do.”

Levi surged forward and kissed him again, properly this time. His eyes slid close when Eren’s soft and warm lips moved against his own. He pulled his hand away from Eren’s hip and fisted the front of his coat, pulling him closer, but before he could allow himself to deepen the kiss he pulled away. 

Eren whimpered softly and Levi licked the saliva from his lips. The urge to kiss Eren again was beyond imagination, but he had to control himself. “We should go back inside, I’m freezing.”

Eren nodded. “You are.” He kissed Levi again, and Levi could feel Eren also craved more from the way he pressed his body against his own again, but this shouldn’t go further. At least not right now.

He eased Eren out of the kiss, ending with a few small pecks on his lips before he turned his body away from him and tapped against the glass door. “Come on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how are we all feeling here? Feed the writer with comments and kudos if you like this story <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes an Eren/Levi centric chapter and I couldn't be more thrilled!

The moment they stepped through the door to the cafeteria, Levi was reminded that even after lunch some students would come here to work on their group projects. There were a few cliques here and there, but he led Eren to an area where they could briefly sit undisturbed. After he sat down at one of the empty tables, he tapped his hand against the metal chair next to him so Eren could sit down too.

“Thank you,” Eren said with a smile, and Levi became awfully aware that he didn’t exactly have anything to talk about.

He hummed in acknowledgment and wrung his hands together. Well, this was awkward.

Luckily quiet didn’t stay for long when Eren was around, and he immediately started talking casually about whatever was on his mind. “So have you gotten your hands on a Harry Potter book yet?”

Levi scoffed at the poor attempt at conversation, but fondness tugged at his heart when Eren looked like an excitable puppy again. “I haven’t.”

“How rude,” Eren pouted. “You should really read them, they’re sooo good.”

“I bet they are,” Levi said and couldn’t help but smile, Eren was just too cute when he pouted. “I just don’t allow myself to read anything new while I haven’t finished a project.”

“Project?” Eren cocked his head to the side while his eyebrows raised in curiosity. “What project?”

“Oh,” Levi said and realized he hadn’t let Eren into that part of his life; probably because he was still uncomfortable, maybe even embarrassed he hadn’t been able to write anything in months. “I… write.”

“Really?” Eren almost yelled before he practically slammed his hands on the table. “What do you write? Do you have your own characters or do you write fanfiction? Mikasa used to write loads of fanfictions when we were younger, they were quite bad but don’t tell her, but that’s so cool, Levi! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

The enthusiasm and interest Eren showed in him was something Levi would probably never get used to and if he had to be honest, he felt put on the spot, but it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. Eren’s way of asking him about his writing didn’t make him feel like absolute crap, and he seemed genuinely excited for him.

“I dabble in both,” Levi started explaining with fondness in his voice. “I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve been rather stuck with my own story lately.”

“Why don’t you focus on a different one then?” 

Eren had a point, but how could he explain to him he was kind of -totally- a control freak and didn’t allow himself to start more than one work in progress? “I don’t have any different ideas, only one right now.”

“That’s a shame, I hope you can get back to writing soon and you’ll m- you’ll be happy with your work.” Eren smiled widely, and the corners of his eyes twitched closed.

Usually, Levi would’ve pressed further into what Eren originally wanted to say, but he was taken aback and filled with warmth by Eren’s graceful smile and laughter that he couldn’t be bothered. 

Humming, Levi nodded. “I hope so too.” 

“I’m uh…” Eren started and ran a hand through the brown mess on top of his head, awkwardly rubbing his nape. “I’m going to Starbucks in a bit, would you want to join me?”

Levi raised an eyebrow at him, was there anything Eren did that wasn’t cute? Probably not. “Like a date?”

Eren paused briefly before determination struck over his face. “Yes.”

“Okay,” Levi chuckled, following Eren’s lead by also getting up from his seat. 

“Then you get to pick next time.”

“Oh, so there’ll be a next time?” Levi teased, grinning when Eren hid his red cheeks back into his scarf.

“There better be,” Eren grumbled before instinctively reaching for Levi’s hand. 

Levi was taken aback by the gesture and despite uncertainty shot through him, he didn’t pull away. Even though his heart hammered against his ribcage, he allowed Eren to carefully hold his hand before he took out his walking stick and led the way to the nearest Starbucks.

“I should probably text Armin,” Eren said as they stepped outside. “I can’t really get lost anymore, but otherwise he’ll get worried.” 

Levi hummed, nodding his head as he tentatively observed how Eren used his phone. He knew blind people could text through some type of voice-over, but he had never seen it in real life. Eren took out his phone and swiped his finger over the black screen with perfect accuracy until the voice said messages, and he chose Armin’s name. 

“You’re quiet,” Eren said carefully as he finished up his message. “Is it that interesting?”

“Yes,” Levi immediately replied, and Eren chuckled in response before he took the raven’s hand again.

Eren hesitantly interlaced their fingers, hiding his cheeks in his scarf and even though he couldn’t see the uncertainty in the raven’s eyes, Levi still averted his gaze to the tips of his shoes. This boy was going to be the death of him. 

When they made it to Starbucks, Levi tried to pay for their drinks, but Eren was one step ahead of him. He’d get back at him for this. After Eren paid, Levi let out a short, amused laugh when Eren started bantering with the barista.

“Horse Face over there is Mikasa’s boyfriend, she has such poor taste.”

“Bitch, you don’t even know what I look like,” Jean said offended while he waited for the other barista to hand him their cups of Chai Tea Latte and Black Tea.

Eren groaned, resting his elbow on the counter. “I don’t need sight to know she’s way out of your league, and your voice is annoying too. I don’t know how she puts up with you.”

“Like you’re so easy to get along with.”

“I’m a delight.”

Levi chuckled and took a sip of his tea, and both their heads turned in his direction.

“Oh, got a date, huh? That’s a first,” Jean said and before Eren could open his mouth to protest he added, looking directly at Levi, “Good luck with this one, he never knows how to shut up.” 

“Maybe he’d rather talk than listen to an idiot like you.” Levi shrugged and also took Eren’s cup. The look on the barista’s face was priceless, and Eren couldn’t help but snort loudly before Levi tapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s sit down.”

“That was hilarious.” Eren continued his laughter, wrapping his hands around his warm cup of chai tea.

“I have my moments,” Levi said and took a sip of his tea, humming in thought. 

“You’re funnier than you think, Levi.” The brunet smiled before taking a large gulp of his latte. “A little hard to read sometimes, but still funny.” 

“Did you just make a pun again?”

“Why? Didn’t you  _ see _ it coming?”

Levi almost choked on his drink. “I swear to God you’re a little shit.”

“I’m taller than you,” Eren retorted, shaking his head as he laughed. “What? It was a good one. I can literally feel you glaring at me.”

“Hmm, watch it, kid,” Levi grumbled as he got a text from Hanji. “Saved by the text.”

“As if you would’ve done something about it.”

“I have more confidence than you might think,” Levi smirked and the subtle clenching of Eren’s jaw didn’t go unnoticed. This brat was such a tease. 

He chuckled as he read Hanji’s text that they indeed knew Nanaba, and Eren cocked his head to the side. “What’s it about?”

“Hanji is going to set someone up again.” Levi shook his head and typed out his reply. 

To Hanji  
From Levi, 3:15 PM  
“Don’t cream your pants but Mike might have a crush on them.”

“Like they did with us?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me that they had anything to do with this,” Levi said as he looked down at his cup of tea.

Eren grinned. “I think it’s sweet, but it was technically my fault.” He paused briefly when Levi asked him what he had meant with that and continued with a shaky laugh. “Well, I kinda said I thought you were cute when Hanji talked about you.”

Levi slumped into his seat and scowled as he took another sip of his tea. “That’s fucking weird.”

“What? Can you blame me?”

Levi huffed. “Yes.” 

“They talked about you during our weekly queer meetings, and I thought you were cute. Jesus Christ, Levi, I can feel you judging me.”

“Well, it’s weird.”

“So? You seem to like it.”

Levi looked at the brunet out of the corner of his eye while he snickered. “You got me there.” A small smile formed on his lips. He had already known it before, Hanji had already pulled the fact that he liked Eren out of him with tooth and nail, but it was too early to actually confess anything of those sorts. This was enough, more than enough.

“So, Hanji texted?”

Levi had to hold back his laughter. Eren really couldn’t shut up for even a minute, but it was what he adored about him. 

“They’re going to try set Mike up with… an acquaintance.”

Eren’s eyes shot up at the mention of the tall blond’s name. “Who’s Mike?”

“He’s…” Levi pursed his lips. “A colleague slash friend.”

“Oh, where do you work?” 

There was a subtle change of tone in Eren’s voice, and Levi wondered if the boy was jealous, maybe? There was absolutely no reason for him to be worried, let alone possessive. He chuckled at the thought and decided he could pester him about it some other time. “The Scouts.”

Eren’s face stayed the same, and his voice was the most monotone Levi had ever heard as he explained he had no idea what that was.

“It’s a gym, I’m a personal trainer.”

“Ah.” Eren’s serious demeanor faltered, and he chuckled before a blush crept back on his cheeks. “That explains a lot.”

Levi’s brows furrowed in confusion. “How so?”

Waving his hands, the brunet vigorously shook his head. “Nothing. Nevermind.”

How Eren could go from a jealous brat to a blushing mess was a mystery to Levi, but the fact that Eren couldn’t exactly suppress his emotions, let alone mask them properly was honestly something he really liked about him. He was so expressive and flat-out open, opposites attract? “You look as guilty as a whore in a church. Spill,” Levi said and he took another sip of his drink.

Eren’s face lit up. “Oh, is your tea any good?”

Glaring, Levi couldn’t help but grin. “Don’t change topics, Eren.”

“Ugh, fine,” Eren groaned and let his head lull back against his seat. “I just noticed you were… well built when we were on the balcony.”

“And you’re all flustered because of that?” Levi scoffed, and Eren turned as red as a tomato. How adorable.

“You’re an ass,” Eren pouted.

“You seem to like it.”

Giving Levi a playful shove, Eren giggled. “That’s my line.”

“And now I took it,” Levi said, carefully wrapping his fingers around Eren’s wrist before inching closer. “What are you gonna do about it?”

Eren opened his mouth, but no sound came, his surprised expression faltering and turning into a pout again. “I would say I wouldn’t go on another date with you, but I’d also be punishing myself.”

Levi huffed. “How smart.”

“Hey! No need to rub it in.” Eren laughed and Levi realized flirting with Eren felt natural. It made his heart race in ways it hadn’t done in years while a warm gentle buzz spread in his chest every time they’d tease each other. He was so fucked.

Walking back to the train station, Eren had taken it upon himself to lead the way and joked about how Levi should walk around blindfolded for a day to see what it’s like being blind, and Levi told him he’d gladly participate in his weird little experiment. 

Laughing to themselves, they took seats in the less crowded cabinets, and Eren nudged Levi’s ankle with his foot to get his attention.

“This was fun,” he smiled, and Levi was again reminded by how utterly open Eren was about, well, everything.

“It was,” Levi replied, careful with his answers. He didn’t want to seem too needy but also wanted Eren to know that the feeling was mutual. Why was dating so fucking complicated?

“You’re third stop right?” 

“What are you? A stalker?” 

Eren shrugged. “Just observant.”

Rolling his eyes, Levi crossed one leg over the other, subtly pressing the side of his calf against Eren’s. “You sound like Hanji.”

Eren swallowed the lump down his throat, Adam’s apple bobbing up and down before he cleared his throat. Cute. “We have been spending a lot of time together.”

“Run while you still can.”

Eren chuckled, biting his lip before pressing his leg even further against Levi’s. Cute and bold? He really was fucking perfect. “You’re gonna have to tell me how you two became friends sometime.” 

Or maybe just really dense? Levi contemplated and couldn’t help but chuckle lowly at the thought. “It’s nothing interesting.”

“Well…” Eren paused for a second, a pink hue covering his cheeks. “I still wanna know. How about you tell me tomorrow during lunch?”

Usually, Levi would’ve been repelled by someone as eager as Eren, but it suited him and he couldn’t help but be even more drawn to him. What the hell was this kid doing to him? “I thought I got to choose the second date?”

“Then don’t see it as a date if that spares your masculinity.” Eren winked and Levi feigned offense.

“Ouch. You got me there with my fragile masculinity.”

Eren laughed wholeheartedly in response, tears stinging in the corners of his eyes, and Levi drunk up the sight.

“Seriously, though. Meet me for lunch tomorrow?”

“Fine.”

“You sound so thrilled.”

Levi shrugged after he got up from his seat. “My-”

“Stop is here,” Eren finished for him, and Levi glared at him. 

Daring little shit, two could play that game. He cupped his cheeks and silenced his laughter with a quick but passionate kiss, tongue tickling the roof of his mouth, and a deep chuckle rumbled in his chest when he felt Eren turn into a bag of limbs under his touch. 

“Dumbass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, nice to see you back here. What did you think of this chapter?
> 
> Feed the writer with comments and kudos if you like this story <3
> 
> A sad P.S.: I have to warn you, my beans, that my exam period is lurking around the corner. This means I won't be able to write as much as I would like since uni sucks the life out of me :( but I will 100% continue this story! I'm really enjoying the process and can't wait to write more about them <3


	7. Chapter 7

Levi had spent the rest of his day working on his assignments and texting with Hanji, who was more than thrilled to set Mike up with Nanaba. The sound of their overly excited voice flashed in his head when he awoke from the sunlight peeking through his shitty curtains. Their obnoxiously loud voice was enough to give him war flashbacks, and he groaned as he reached for his phone. 

Almost 9 AM, on his free fucking morning. Maybe he should really invest in some better curtains because even though he had decided to sleep in, the sunlight and birds chirping had other plans for him. Usually, he wasn’t someone to laze around in bed all morning, but he found himself scrolling through his Instagram feed longer than anticipated, and then went on to read the news. He should really get up to shower and brush his teeth, he probably smelled like death.

Groaning as he stretched his limbs, he let his legs dangle off the bed before shuffling to the small bathroom on the right side of the hallway. His muscles felt tense, and what better excuse to take a long shower than stiff muscles and a free morning? 

He shivered as the first blast of cold water hit him, not having waited for it to warm up before getting in. He always needed that cold hit in his face to properly wake him up. The water started heating up nicely and while Levi rinsed the shampoo from his hair, he wondered what type of smells Eren liked. He hadn’t complained before, and Levi prided himself in his personal hygiene, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he liked deeper scents.

Only one way to find out, he thought as he grabbed the loofah Hanji had gotten him as a joke -even though he used it every day. Squeezing a generous amount of soap on the sponge, he notoriously scrubbed his entire body to make sure he smelled extra nice today. Really, what was Eren doing to him? But if it meant he could make the brunet maybe a tad bit more excited to see him today and sneak in a few kisses before he’d head to his afternoon practica, then he couldn’t complain. 

He really shouldn’t think about kissing Eren when he’d be in public, but with the warm water running down his body, he welcomed the thought of Eren’s lips back on his own. He imagined how good they’d feel kissing down his neck and torso, and how his tongue would feel up and down his hard cock. It was insane how quickly the thought of having sex with Eren made Levi near his orgasm, and his release crashed over him not even a minute later. What was he? A teenager again?

Panting in post-orgasm haze, he lazily cleaned himself again before stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his hips. 

A few hours later, Levi had to stand as he took the train to campus. Lately, he hadn’t been using his music to get through the rush hours on the train since Eren usually kept him company, but now he used the opportunity to listen to [40 Day Dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=188EAuPYbc0) while waiting for his stop. He missed this, if he had to admit, the loneliness. Or rather, the being alone part but without the loneliness. He never saw being alone as a bad thing. If a person couldn’t enjoy their own company and constantly had to rely on others to entertain them, Levi always saw it as a sign they were unhappy, maybe even sick. 

The fact he enjoyed being alone didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate Eren’s company in the slightest. The energetic kid had grown on him over the past few weeks, a perfect contrast to what he was used to; silence. It made him welcome the time he spent by himself more than he did before and also enjoy the times where the brunet kept him company. It was a weird mixture, just an odd change if he really thought about it, but Hanji had scolded him more than enough over the past two weeks. He shouldn’t think about it too much, overthinking turned into negativity, and negativity turned into self-blame and solitude.

Maybe he had also been spending too much time with Shitty Glasses, their psychology crap had rubbed off on him.

Once he made it to campus, he texted Eren he’d be waiting on him at the entrance of the cafeteria with disgusting jitters in his stomach. Twenty minutes until Eren arrived and music hadn’t helped him distract from how nervous he actually was. Him? Nervous? Since when? But he quickly forgot the change in his usual feelings when he saw Eren approaching by himself. 

Pushing his back off the wall, he straightened up and instantly used his poker face -voice- as he called out his name. He relished in the way Eren’s face lit up once he heard his voice, eyes creasing as he enthusiastically smiled and made his way to Levi.

“Hi,” Eren said, surprising the raven when he reached out a hand and trailed upwards until he was cupping Levi’s jaw and gently kissed him.

“Hello to you too,” Levi managed to say through the loud pounding in his chest.

Eren chuckled. “If you don’t like my kisses, I can keep them to myself.” 

“Hmm, no,” Levi said and planted a peck on Eren’s lips, scoffing before wrapping his arm around Eren’s waist just so he could see that infamous blush of his. “They’re mine now.”

“You’re so greedy.” Eren bit his lip, forming a small pout in protest.

“Sue me.” Levi shrugged, following Eren through the entrance of the cafeteria. He observed how Eren found his way around the area without his help. The tapping of his stick against objects, the audio cues he used, the way the staff managed to be helpful without treating him like a child. It all seemed so effortless, and while Levi felt an insane need to care for Eren, he’d only step in if he saw him struggle or Eren asked for his help. 

They both ended up getting the spaghetti with bell pepper and zucchini, and towards the end of their meal, Levi couldn’t help but snicker when he saw Eren got sauce on his face.

“Here?” Eren asked while pointing at his cheek.

Levi shook his head. “No.”

“Here?”

“Yeah, on your fucking eyebrow.”

Eren’s eyes widened and almost shrieked, “Wait, really?”

Scoffing, Levi tossed him a napkin, fondness tugging at his heart as Eren furiously rubbed his face but then realized Levi had been sarcastic. “It’s still on your chin by the way.”

“Why not just tell me that?” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Levi grinned, smirk growing wider when Eren started pouting again.

“You’re mean, you know that?” Eren said and Levi crossed his arms over his chest as he slumped back into the chair.

“You voluntarily started dating me, no sympathy for you.”

Eren’s fork was about halfway to his mouth before he snickered, “Okay, you got me there.”

They fell into silence, a comfortable one, while Eren finished up the rest of his food before he got a second plate. Levi had noticed it before, but Eren ate a fuck ton and he practically inhaled his food.

“I can feel you staring at me,” Eren said, not looking up from his plate.

Levi chuckled, forming a bridge with his hands and resting his chin on it. “Gonna sue me for that too?”

“Maybe,” Eren smiled and cleaned his mouth with another napkin before bringing up Levi’s friendship with Hanji.

“Do we really have to talk about Shitty Glasses?”

“Yes,” Eren said, determined. “You promised.”

“I never did such a thing. That’s your imagination.”

Eren hummed, raising an eyebrow. “Hmm, don’t beat around the bush and tell me.”

“What’s in for me?” Levi teased, heart skipping a beat when Eren’s leg pressed against his beneath the table. 

“How about making your date happy?”

There was a teasing hint in Eren’s voice, and Levi wondered if Eren was in fact, just really fucking dense, or an incredible tease. He decided it was time to find out, flirting with Eren always made his heart race and this time it was no different when he moved his leg further up Eren’s calf, gently bumping into his leg.

The responding nudge made Levi feel strangely aroused, and he reached out to take a sip of his water before commenting on the situation. “You’re playing dirty.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eren grinned and their nudges turned into constant contact, reminding Levi he had turned into a horny teenager as he was basically sporting a semi from simple ankle contact. 

After a few minutes, they finally gave it a rest and simply intertwined their legs before Eren brought the topic up again, much to Levi’s annoyance.

“So, Hanji?”

“I swear to God, you’re not going to let this go, are you?”

Eren shrugged. “No, I’m pretty stubborn if you haven’t noticed.”

With a weary sigh, Levi pinched the bridge of his nose while telling Eren he had practica soon and they should just make it quick. 

“I never told you to cite an entire book. Just tell me how you two met. ”Eren smiled into his cup and Levi admitted his defeat. 

Grumbling, Levi sat up straight. “You’re insufferable.”

Eren shrugged and Levi wrung his hands together. If there was one thing he absolutely hated in this world, it was opening up. Even if it was just about this stupid fucking detail, and despite Eren’s genuine interest, he still had to fight the instincts that told him he shouldn’t share anything with anyone. “I met Hanji in kindergarten.”

“Ooh, exciting.” Eren giggled as he interrupted the raven, and Levi sent him a glare.

“If you’re going to interrupt me, I’m not gonna bother telling you, got it?” Levi warned him and Eren pressed his lips together.

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

Levi hummed, still wary about the entire situation but eventually continued. “So, I met Hanji in kindergarten, but we only became friends during high school.”

“Why’s that?” 

“No idea. They had a different friend group, and I was sort of a loner so…”

Eren hummed, giving Levi the space to talk at his own pace. 

“They were a year above me, but their class was matched up with ours to help out the freshmen’s and they ended up with me.” Levi shrugged.

“Kinda like a buddy system?”

“You could say that,” Levi nodded. “And they basically clung on to me, and that’s how we’re here.”

“What about Hanji’s friends?” Eren asked, furrowing his brows when Levi let out a surprised ‘_ oh _ ’. “What, _ oh _?”

“I just don’t see why you’d want to know all that,” Levi said in all honesty, someone being interested him still foreign to him.

“Because I want to get to know you, leave me be.” Eren chuckled, eyes filled with delight as Levi told him about their mutual friend, Erwin, who had moved to Norway last year, and how they also used to hang out with a girl named Petra. How after she and Hanji had dated they all just kind of drifted apart from her.

Eren nodded in acknowledgment, cradling his cup. “That’s a shame.”

Levi hummed. “It’s okay.”

“But hey, now I know a little more about you.”

Levi scoffed. “Don’t get too excited, kid.”

Eren licked his lips, a daring glint in his eyes. “Let me be excited, old man.”

Squinting, Levi pursed his lips at the teasing banter but kissed Eren before he had to leave to his practica; which went by ever so slowly.

Afterward, while making his way down to the train station, he found Eren waiting on the perron with his face hidden in his scarf. Levi was taken aback by the gesture. Had he really waited for him all this time? 

“Hello?” Levi tried to say while maintaining his composure, awfully aware of the twisting in his gut.

“Hey!” Eren’s face lit up with his usual excitement and explained how he had texted Hanji to know when Levi’s session would be done. 

The train arrived not even five minutes later on their platform, and Levi sat down next to Eren who had already intertwined their arms. “What’s your stop actually?”

Eren pursed his lips. “Like two more from yours. Not that far.”

Levi hummed in acknowledgment and wondered if he should ask Eren to have dinner at his place or if that’d be too soon. He opted for asking that a different time, maybe their next date, and pecked Eren goodbye on his cheek before kissing him on the lips with a soft smile.

When Levi had decided to call Eren, it took him about thirty minutes before finally dialing. His heart pounded in his chest when the excruciating beep filled his ears, and he drummed his fingers against his desk. 

“Hello?” Eren’s voice sounded unsure and Levi wondered how Eren would know it was him calling, the possibility that he didn’t was there.

“It’s Levi,” he said and was yet again surprised by how utterly excited Eren sounded as he realized it was him. “I’ve decided where to take you on a date.”

How he managed to keep his voice from breaking was a mystery to Levi, and he couldn’t help but let out a long breath when he let his back rest against his comfortable desk chair.

“Where are we going?” Eren asked and Levi heard the rummaging of pots and pans in the background. Was this kid already going to prepare another meal? 

“You’ll see,” Levi scoffed. “Or wait, you won’t.”

Eren coughed, choking a laugh. “Damn, right in the heart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloo! Who decided to write instead of studying? This bean right here and not a single regret!
> 
> As always, let me know your thoughts. Kudos and comments are highly appreciated (aka feed the writer) <3


	8. Chapter 8

Over the course of the week, Levi hadn’t been able to spend much time with Eren. Their schedules didn’t align, and they hadn’t managed to meet up for lunch again. Usually, he would’ve asked Eren to meet up on Friday after their classes, but in order to have Saturday off Levi even had to skip his Friday afternoon class to make up for his planned shift at the gym. Luckily, his clients were more than willing to come to The Scouts on Friday. 

Levi sighed, exhaustion tugging at his eyelids despite the fact that he had been able to sleep in today. Screw his insomnia, Levi thought as he hid his pink nose further in his scarf. Winter was approaching quickly, and not even the layers of clothing could stop his nose and cheeks from tinting pink. Eren probably wouldn’t have this problem since he was his own personal stove.

The previous day he had texted Eren they would take the 1 PM train to outside the city center and had asked to let him know in which compartment he would be sitting. At a quarter before 1, Levi found himself standing on the train platform when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Eren texted him he was in the third compartment, and when the train arrived he already saw Eren sitting near the window in a fluffy green sweater and coat. 

Levi swallowed down the emotion bubbling up, attempting to mask the fondness tugging at his heart when he approached Eren.

“Hey,” he said, placing a hand on Eren’s shoulder.

“Hello, stranger,” Eren chuckled, retrieving his backpack from the seat so Levi could sit down next to him. “Saved you a seat.”

Levi hummed and sat down, giving Eren a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks.”

Eren bent to his side and kissed Levi, surprising the raven even though he welcomed the sensation. He had to suppress the urge to grin into the kiss but instead he closed his eyes and cupped Eren’s cheek.

“Jesus, your hands are _ ice _ .”

Levi chuckled. “I know.” 

“The gloves thing was supposed to be a joke, but I’m seriously getting you some, this is insane.” 

Shaking his head, Levi pressed their lips together again when Eren made a move to start babbling nonsense. He still felt like Eren could change his mind any moment about the date, and wanted to kiss him now that he still could. It was a stupid thought, he knew that senseless anxiety was simply messing with his head, but he savored the way Eren’s lips felt against his own. 

“Damn, easy there, Casanova.” Eren snorted, placing a hand on Levi’s thigh as he eased them out of the kiss by planting a few more pecks on Levi’s cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“What are you even talking about?” Levi raised an eyebrow, voice as calm as ever despite being put on the spot. “Can’t I kiss my date?” 

Eren blinked a few times, cheeks reddening, taken aback by Levi’s bluntness. “I mean… you can, it just felt- I don’t know where I was going with that.” 

Levi chuckled, Eren was too wholesome for words and very easy to mess with. “Don’t worry, we’re not gonna scare the children.”

Eren smiled. “Speaking of date. Where are you taking me?”

“Where do you think I’m taking you?”

“I honestly have no clue, you don’t seem like the ‘taking you out for a nice dinner’ type of guy.”

“Hm, not necessarily,” Levi agreed and squeezed Eren’s hand on top of his thigh. 

“So?” 

“I’ll let you know when we’re there.”

“But come ooonn,” Eren whined and Levi grinned.

“No,”

“Come oon, Leviii,” Eren whimpered again, wrapping his arms around the smaller man as he nuzzled his cheek. “We’re almost there so why not tell me?”

Levi ruffled the brown mess on Eren’s head, ignoring the fluttering kisses on his jawline. “So, why not be a little more patient?”

Eren gave up, slumping back into his chair with a pout. “I swear to God.”

Shrugging, Levi took out his phone and started untangling the mess of what was supposed to be his earbuds. “You’ll like it.”

“Will I, though?” Eren attempted to tease, but Levi didn’t do as much as flinch. 

“You will,” he replied, voice low and certain.

“Damn, are you that sure of yourself?”

“Yes,” Levi said with a smirk, placing one of his earbuds into Eren’s palm.

“That’s kinda hot.” Eren laughed and Levi couldn’t help but chuckle at Eren’s response.

It was still sunny when they arrived at their stop, and Levi grumbled as the cold December breeze hit him in his face. Eren giggled at Levi’s swearing, smiling fondly as he hooked his elbow around Levi’s arm before pecking Levi’s hand as they started walking. “Don’t freeze to death.”

“Fucking watch me,” Levi scoffed, hiding his burning cheeks into his scarf. The gesture felt way more intimate than it should have been. He had never felt so exposed while dating someone before, but by this point, he shouldn’t really be surprised. Everything with Eren felt like a brand new experience and while yes, he liked to complain about feeling vulnerable, it was also one of the nicest feelings he had ever experienced. 

He sighed at his thought process, and Eren cocked his head to the side. “You good?”

“Yes,” Levi said, which technically wasn’t a lie. “Just so fucking cold. I’m gonna freeze my balls off.”

“Too bad I can’t keep them warm for you.” 

Levi’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline, and he almost choked on his own spit. “Jesus Christ, Eren.”

“What? Only as bros. I’m not gay, obviously.” Eren stuck out his tongue, and Levi thought he couldn’t have fallen any harder for this man. Shit.

They arrived at their location, and Levi guided Eren through the gates leading to the ticket booth. “Well, bro, we’re here.”

“I hear children?” 

Levi nodded. “Correct,” and proceeded to hold up two fingers to the cashier who smiled courteously in return.

“So, are you finally gonna tell me?” Eren pursed his lips, but Levi ignored him until he had gotten the tickets. “Leviii?”

“Yes,” Levi finally replied, wrapping his arm around Eren’s waist as he opened the small door, making sure Eren wouldn’t trip over loose hay. “We’re at an animal sanctuary that also allows visitors to pet them.”

Eren looked at him dumbfounded, and Levi furrowed his brows. He could’ve sworn this would’ve been a thoughtful date for Eren, but suddenly he felt more unsure than ever. That was until Eren launched at him and hugged him tightly, yelling in his ear with the most beautiful and earnest smile on his face. Levi would count this smile in his top three.

“Are you for real? That’s so sweet! Oh my God, maybe they’ll have pigs, and cows, and oh my God, turkeys and maybe goats and-”

“Yes, they have all of those.” Levi chuckled, welcoming the heat radiating off of Eren and allowed himself to melt a little in the embrace before Eren quickly kissed him and demanded to take him to the pigs first.

Despite the cold and rainy days they had experienced, the mud didn’t stick to Levi’s boots as they walked through the small corridor leading to the farm, and he led Eren past the handful of children with their parents until they arrived at the pig stalls. Levi wasn’t exactly one to pet animals. They were cute, yes, and he cared for them, but petting anything other than a cat was a big no.

“Come on, babe, this one’s a sweety.”

Babe? Levi thought, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards before he shook away the butterflies in his stomach. He squatted down next to Eren, who more than eagerly petted the pot-bellied pig, and placed a hand on the brunet’s shoulder.

“He’s such a good, big boy.” 

“Your pet voice is great,” Levi scoffed, observing how Eren handled the pig with a sly smile.

“I know, right? Kinda goes deep for some reason.” Eren chuckled, continuing to pet the pig until it snorted and rolled over to its side with a grunt.

Levi noticed the confusion on Eren’s face when his hand had lost contact with the animal, and without a thought he wrapped his fingers around Eren’s palm, guiding him a little closer until he was able to touch the pig again. 

“Ohh, you’re showing me your belly, aren’t you?”

Eren’s conversation with the pig went on, and fondness tugged at Levi’s heart the more he watched it all unravel. Eren was too good for words. When he handled the geese, one of them was weirdly affectionate, and it cuddled up in Eren’s lap. The owner had come in to explain it was his personal pet goose who slept inside the house and wore a diaper so she wouldn’t shit everywhere.

When Levi scrunched up his nose in disgust, the man chuckled. “But as you can see, she’s exceptionally friendly.”

“She really is, I’ve never petted a goose before.” Eren beamed, his smile never fading as the afternoon went on. They went to the cows next and if it hadn’t been for Levi’s warning, Eren would’ve stepped in a huge pile of shit. Despite Eren’s embarrassment, they easily joked about it afterwards before making a short stop at the sheep. Eren briefly cuddled their fluffy coat before demanding Levi to take him back to the pigs. Levi had complied with a soft smile, guiding Eren to his favorite pot-bellied pig again before making their way out of the sanctuary and stopping at the nearest café.

Eren talked about the day’s experience with the animals while cradling his latte, and Levi was for once glad the boy was blind because he was pretty sure he had been wearing his emotions on his sleeve all day. Ever since he realized this could indeed go somewhere, he hadn’t stopped smiling, and his usual self would’ve been nauseated by himself. How gross. Maybe Hanji was right after all, but he’d never admit that out loud. That’d be crazy.

Eren had dozed off on their way back, their fingers still lazily intertwined until he woke up when Levi couldn’t keep in his snort any longer.

“Huh, what’re you laughing about?” Eren yawned, rubbing the side of his cheek.

“You snore,” Levi said.

“I do not.”

“Yes, you do.”

Eren hummed in contemplation. “Liar.”

“And you almost choked on your own spit just now.” Levi couldn’t help but chuckle, the image of Eren softly snoring one moment, followed by slurping up his own drool was too hilarious and weirdly adorable for words.

“That kinda reminds me of someone,” Eren teased, nudging his elbow into Levi’s side.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Eren chuckled, ears perking up when the train conductor announced their next stop; Levi’s. “Do you…” Eren trailed off.

Levi felt an odd surge of affection towards Eren as the boy tried to find the proper words, fumbling with the hem of his forest green sweater as he did so. “Do I…?”

Eren took a short breath as if he was trying to find enough courage. “I really had fun today.”

Furrowing his brows, confused by Eren’s careful words, Levi moved his hand towards Eren’s pink cheeks. “I did too.”

The smile on the brunet faltered. “I- fuck, I’m bad at this.”

“Okay…” Levi squinted, finding it weirdly amusing to see Eren struggle to express himself. Usually, he was the emotionally constipated one and he scoffed at the thought.

The boy let out a breath, shoulders sagging before he determinedly sat up. “Do you wanna hang out at my place maybe?” Eren asked. “... Now.”

Levi fought the urge to chuckle and instead ruffled the mop of hair on Eren’s head. “Only as bros,” he said flatly, barking out a laugh when he saw the startled expression on Eren’s face. “Yes, dumbass.”

After they made it to Eren’s, Levi took off his shoes and left them next to the few pairs of the brunet’s. It kinda looked like his own except that Eren had two doors on either side of the hallway while Levi only had one, and the entire place felt oddly warm. Levi was suddenly very aware he was surrounded by Eren’s personality, everything there was Eren’s, and the realization made him feel strangely at ease but also flattered the brunet was showing him this. Stupid thoughts.

Eren ushered him into the living room at the end of the hallway and for someone who didn’t see color, his place was weirdly vibrant; red pillows, chairs, purple blankets, he had everything in color. 

“You’re quiet,” Eren said, cocking his head to the side. “Something wrong?”

“No, no,” Levi quickly replied, shaking off the haze he had found himself in. “Just a lot of colors, I didn’t expect that.”

Eren smiled softly as he took Levi’s hand and led him to the red couch in the middle of the living room in front of a tv and a small coffee table. “Did you know there are studies showing we can actually feel color without seeing it?”

“Oh?” Levi followed him, plopping down next to Eren who hadn’t let go of his hand.

“Yes, apparently we can feel warm colors so I asked Ar and Kasa to pick out red things for my place,” Eren said proudly. “Not too many things though, I don’t wanna live in a circus.”

Humming, Levi crossed one leg over the other. “That explains it.”

“Is it weird?”

“No.”

“That was a fast answer.” Eren chuckled, biting his lip as he intertwined their fingers, smiling fondly when Levi didn’t protest and squeezed back.

Levi shrugged. “It’s not weird, so.”

“Good, good…” Eren nodded, unsure of what to do next and asked if Levi wanted to watch some FRIENDS. “I’ve seen the blind people version of it so many times so I don’t even need it anymore to know what is happening.” 

Levi chuckled. “That big of a fan, huh? No surprise you and Hanji get along great.”

“I suppose.” Eren pursed his lips.

In the end, Levi stayed longer than expected, and they decided to get Chinese take-out. They alternated between lightheartedly watching television and kissing until Eren pulled Levi closer to him as he rested his back against the arm of the couch.

Levi moved on top of him, pressing his knees further apart so he could easily fit between his legs as he was sucking Eren’s tongue into his mouth. Eren shamelessly moaned at the gesture, hands raking over Levi’s shoulders.

Levi pulled back from the kiss, enough to allow Eren to breathe, and all that left his throat was a whine when Levi was nibbling along the brunet’s neck. Eren smelled like autumn, almost sweet, and Levi sucked and licked to his heart’s contempt. He slid his hands up Eren’s sides, brushing his thumb over Eren’s nipple and Eren let out a noise so sinful it went straight to Levi’s groin. The raven made a low sound of approval in his chest before burying his face in the crook of Eren’s neck.

“You’re embarrassing me,” Eren panted, cheeks reddening with every shaky breath he took, but he pulled Levi up and kissed him again nevertheless. He moved his lips against Levi’s, even daring to suck on his bottom lip a little. 

Levi groaned, smirk creeping up on his face as he swiped his tongue over Eren’s lips, initiating more kisses. “Am I?” he asked teasingly, coaxing Eren’s lips open and teased his tongue over the brunet’s, savoring the taste of Eren’s mouth. The kiss instantly became more aggressive as Levi explored Eren’s mouth, forcing desperate whimpers out of Eren’s throat, rolling his hips against Eren’s until they moved together in a feverish pace. 

Levi could feel Eren shiver under his fingertips as he slid them under his shirt, pushing the fabric up far enough until he was able to swipe his tongue over his torso before experimentally lapping at Eren’s nipple. Eren’s head tipped back as he let out a mixture of a moan and a hiss, and Levi sucked one of the pink buds into his mouth, making sure it was at least a little red and swollen before moving his attention to the other one and softly rolling it between his teeth as he kneaded Eren’s ass.

Eren had started subconsciously grinding his arousal against Levi’s, and Levi felt as if he couldn’t breathe, intoxicated by everything that was Eren as he kissed him over and over again as if he could never get enough. Eren was ruining him and he let him.

Breaking up their lip lock, Levi let go of the brunet’s waist and hips and trailed his fingers to the front of his jeans. “This okay?” he asked, surprised by how utterly wrecked he also sounded.

Eren nodded, flush growing impossibly darker, and Levi slotted their lips again.

“I need more than that,” he grinned, swiping his tongue over Eren’s bottom lip and tickling the roof of his mouth as the brunet let out a mixture of a moan and a whine.

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?” 

Eren pressed his lips firmly together, head tipping back as Levi’s teeth grazed over his jawline before he left a sloppy suck under his ear. 

“Yes…” the brunet panted, voice breathy. “Yes, I want this.”

Satisfied with Eren’s answer, Levi planted a final peck on the boy’s lips and popped the button of Eren’s jeans. He lowered the zipper before pulling down his pants enough so he could free his erection. 

Levi could clearly see the uncertainty on Eren’s face and while he wasn’t exactly the person to give verbal affirmation, he’d make sure Eren would know how much he wanted him and how much every inch of his body aroused him to the point he felt like he was about to burst. 

Lowering his head, he planted a teasing kiss at the base of Eren’s cock. Eren’s hips jutted forward, but the brunet stopped him in his movements. Levi raised a confused eyebrow at him, throat feeling dry until Eren reached for his shoulder and pulled him closer to his face.

“Wait, I wanna… I want you to feel good too.” 

A rush of heat spread through Levi at the words, previous worry quickly forgotten, and a determined look crossed over his features. “Okay, let me try something.”

He freed his own cock from its confinement, leaning down to catch Eren’s lips in a smothering kiss before pressing his hips down. He wrapped his hand around both of their cocks, and Eren shuddered under his touch. 

Levi’s hand moved over them both, hot and silky, and moans spilled past Eren’s lips. 

“L-Levi…” Eren panted, biting his lip, screwing his eyes shut.

Levi rested his forehead against Eren’s, hot breath puffing over his cheeks. “Feeling good?” Pressing his fingers into Eren’s hip, Levi sped up the movement of his other hand, drinking up the sight of Eren nodding enthusiastically. 

“Please don’t stop.”

Smirking briefly, Levi’s grin faded as pants and low moans moved past his lips, and it took one more look at Eren’s blissed, red, fucked out expression before he was coming hard, spilling over his own hand and Eren’s stomach.

Eren followed suit, hips stuttering as he cried out Levi’s name in a breathy moan.

“That was…” Eren started, still panting heavily.

“Great?” Levi grinned, running a hand through his damp hair. 

A sheepish smile curled Eren’s lips, and Levi kissed the foolish expression away before reaching for the napkins on the coffee table to quickly clean them both. 

Levi wrapped his arms around Eren, moving him so he was pressed up against his chest, and he kissed his temple as they caught their breath together, bodies slouched together in post-orgasmic bliss. 

Neither of them said anything for a long while, comfortable in their silence together, and Levi realized why he had never been a fan of romance or love for that matter. He just hadn’t experienced it before he met Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, I wasn't planning to let them to some frisky stuff for a couple of chapters but they just decided to rub their dicks together and who am I to deprive you (myself) of smut?   
Oh, and has anyone noticed I added the chapter count :eyes: Almost to the finale, my beans!
> 
> As always, let me know your thoughts. Feed the writer comments and kudos if you like this story <3


	9. Chapter 9

Looking back on it, Levi should’ve appreciated his time with Eren more before they both had their midterms. He wasn’t sure his regret was entirely justified as he treasured every moment spent with Eren to the point that not being with him felt unnatural. Finals had been messing with their time together as they both needed to focus on passing their exams and now that Levi was done sooner than Eren, he found himself craving his attention more than he had expected. Even though he wanted to do nothing more than to drop by Eren’s place to show him this, he knew he should leave him be in his cocoon of studying and let him focus instead. 

It was a Friday night when Hanji had also finished their exams, and Levi and them were watching How To Get Away With Murder on their couch, discussing how Annalise was a walking contradiction.

“I hate and love her,” Hanji said, stuffing their face with another handful of Cheetos. 

Levi hummed, listening in silence as Hanji rambled on and on about the show. 

“I mean, and this Wes, what’s even his deal? Is he supposed to be some type of sociopath or is it trauma? Who the fuck knows. This show doesn’t tell me anything but…”

As Hanji bitched about the lack of information, Levi got a text from Eren, and he was unable to suppress a smile forming on his lips. Ever since their midterms had begun, Eren hadn’t stopped talking about how he desperately wanted a cat. He had already picked out a name for him, and Levi couldn’t help but shake his head every time he was reminded that Eren would call his cat Titan. 

“You’re in deep, Levi,” Hanji snickered, nudging him in his side.

Levi rolled his eyes. “Do you ever shut it?” 

“What? It’s the truth. It’s a shame he couldn’t join us tonight, I miss the sunshine bean.” 

There was something off about how Hanji said it, the way their gaze was still fixed on the TV but without commenting on it. Levi nodded his head while typing out his reply to Eren. “One more exam and he’s free.”

“Prof. Koster right?” Hanji asked, letting out a long breath after Levi hummed. “He’s going to serve his ass raw.”

“He said the course is interesting actually.”

“I mean, it is. But his exams are just brutal.”

“Is that the one where four people left crying?”

Hanji furrowed their brows, briefly thinking about it. “No, that was neurobiology. Experimental psychopathology is the type of exam where you wanna throw the papers at his head.”

“Sounds like me and professional law, for fuck’s sake. That was pure hell.”

“Oh yeah, definitely.” 

“How would you know? You didn’t even have that class.” Levi side-eyed his friend and they shrugged. 

“I didn’t, but unlike you, I actually talk to people.”

Levi glared at them but before he could open his mouth to protest they finished their sentence and told him they had no room to complain.

“My masterplan worked after all.” Hanji wiggled their eyebrows.

Levi slumped back into the couch, letting his head fall back against it. “Don’t remind me.”

“Speaking of a masterplan.”

_ Oh, here it comes. _

“Nanaba has agreed to go on a date with Mike.”

Levi’s eyes widened and he sat up straight again. “You’re kidding?”

“Nowp,” Hanji said, popping the p as they smirked smugly.

“He asked her out?”

“Them, Levi.”

“Shit. Right, he asked them out?”

“He did,” Hanji nodded, relishing in the surprised look Levi game them. “I know he caught us both by surprise.”

“Kinda deserves it after Erwin, honestly.”

Hanji threw their hands in the air as if they were starting a prayer, ecstatic to the point their voice almost turned ultrasonic. “I thought you’d never say that. Thank God. He really does and I’d never speak an ill word about Erwin but honestly, that whole fiasco was just straight up disgusting.”

Levi chuckled under his breath, reaching for his can of soda. He remembered the scene all too vividly. Erwin had left for Norway without even talking about it with Mike beforehand, leaving his boyfriend to fend for himself to realize this was basically a breakup. Mike still blamed himself for it so to see him giving dating another try made a weird sense of calamity ease its way into Levi’s mind. 

“It really was.”

“Usually I’m all on board with giving second chances,” Hanji started, carefully choosing their words. “But Mike deserves better than that… I think he and Nanaba will work out nicely.”

“Hmm, I don’t know.” Levi pursed his lips. “They’re both pretty quiet.”

“So are you.”

Levi’s brows shot up into his hairline, grimacing at the comment a little. “I am, but two silent people together?” 

“You never know, Levi, you might need your complete opposite to date, but these two have chemistry. I can tell.”

“Don’t jizz your pants,” Levi shook his head, chuckling as his friend got that crazy look in their eyes again; like every time they’d get enthusiastic about bonds between people. “Keep your psychology crap for your clients.”

“Future clients,” Hanji emphasized. “I haven’t graduated yet.”

“You’re pretty close, though.”

“I am, only half a year at my internship and I’m done. Crazy, don’t you think?”

Levi silently agreed and finally got to know why Hanji had been a little off in the way they spoke when they told him they had a date soon.

“Oh?” Levi carefully waited for them to continue. He knew there was a reason why they hadn’t told him yet, and he didn’t like it one bit. 

“Moblit asked me out for drinks.”

And there it was. 

“You really think that’s such a good idea?” There was bite in Levi’s tone, and it made Hanji lower their head ever so slightly, knowing full well this was the reaction they’d get from their best friend.

“Is that concern I hear, Levi?” They tried to lighten the mood, but Levi didn’t budge.

“Can you blame me?” 

Hanji sighed. “I can’t and I’m honestly rather skeptical about it myself.” 

“But you still said yes?” 

Hanji slumped back into the couch, turning their head to the side so they could properly see the subtle expressions on Levi’s face. “I did. He said he wanted to talk so I thought I should hear him out.”

“I’m not happy about it.”

“I know you’re not, but sometimes second chances work.”

“Only sometimes.”

“Gotta stay optimistic, Shortstack. I’ll keep you updated about it, though.”

Levi took a deep breath, his chest rising as his lungs inflated. His heart had started pounding in his ears and cold sweat was starting to form on his skin. Anger was rising inside him, but he tried to stay collected while still bringing his point across. “I hope you’re smart enough to dump him if he shows a single sign of… unreliability.” 

“So sophisticated, damn.” Hanji giggled and received a playful shove from Levi. “You can be so sweet, no wonder Eren fell for your grumpy but sweet pants.”

“That’s not even English.”

“It is now. I claimed it. It is law.”

“Stop referencing old memes, Shitty Glasses.”

“Nah, you like it.”

For a very long time, Levi avoided unnecessary conversations at work. He’d have some small talk with Mike during lunch and do the courtesy nod when they’d pass each other in the hallway on their way to their clients but nothing more. 

Although he appreciated the non-chattiness of his coworker, he also found himself willing to have a normal conversation with the blond. They hadn’t had one ever since Erwin had left, and Levi couldn’t help but blame himself a little for the distance between them. There wasn’t any awkwardness, at least to what he could sense, but there was something holding them both back from having an active conversation, but he just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

Usually, Levi wasn’t exactly the chattiest person, but after the gentle (forceful) pushing from Hanji the day before he managed to call out the blond when they both didn’t have a client to see for about half an hour.

Mike cocked his head to the side, a specific glint in his eyes that told Levi he was observing him more than usual. Mike had always been one to overanalyze situations after all.

“Do you have a minute?” Levi asked, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts. 

Mike’s subtle laughter startled the raven but seemed to have a calming effect. “Sure.” 

They sat at one of the public tables at the front of the gym complex, the smell of detergent filling the air as they both drank their protein shake. 

“There’s no need to beat around the bush,” Levi started, shaking his head. There was no point in trying to ease into the topic, they’d been friends for years after all, he tried to tell himself. He wrung his hands together and put one leg over the other. “Hanji said you’re going on a date with Nanaba?”

“I am,” Mike nodded, seemingly unbothered by the topic and took a large gulp from his bottle. “Tonight to be precise.”

Levi also nodded and blew out his cheeks when Mike patted him hard on the back. 

“You’re too tense, Shortstack.”

“Don’t call me that.” Levi shot him a sideways look. He had expected Mike to be his usual, silent self but from the looks of it, it was Levi himself who had blown this way out of proportion. He really should be used to that at this point, and he couldn’t help but shake his head at the thought. How fucking stupid could he possibly be? Overanalyzing could suck his dick. 

“Things between you and Eren have been quite… I don’t know the word… Cheesy?” Mike laughed and earned a shove against his arm. 

“Hanji has been saying shit, haven’t they?” 

“They sure have. I was wondering why you’ve been in such a good mood lately.”

“Don’t give me that look,” Levi said, averting his gaze as he took another sip. “Plus, you’re the one having a, as Hanji would call it, hot date tonight. Not me.”

“Eren still busy?” 

Levi hummed. “Till Monday.”

“A shame.” Mike agreed. “Plus you haven’t dated a lot of students, have you?”

“Fuck no,” Levi huffed. The last time he attempted to date had been years ago. He always found people too immature for his liking, let alone a fellow student. 

Mike, like always, was right there with him and knew what he was talking about without actually having to explain himself. Hanji, Erwin, and himself had always been joking Mike was secretly a mind reader

“I understand. Sometimes students still have to grow out of their childish bullshit.”

“Especially if mom and dad pay for their college,” Levi added and raised his bottle. 

“Cheers to that.” Mike laughed before they both sunk back in their chairs and talked about the blond’s upcoming date again. “They’re cooking for me.”

“Sounds like you found yourself a catch.” Cooking had always been something that could make Mike swoon, both on a platonic and romantic level. Despite Hanji being their chaotic self, never writing down a recipe, they made an awfully good lasagna. Levi should honestly ask his friend to make it again so they could all catch up. It had literally been months since they had last done that, and a thread of guilt tugged at Levi’s gut at the realization. 

“It’s been nice,” Mike said, nodding in agreement, a subtle sheepish smile curling his lips, and Levi knew he was happy again.

“Good.” Levi nodded and let his head lull back. He tried to stretch his muscles, but they only tensed the more he rolled his shoulders and the pain shot all the way up to his neck. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

“Shoulders been hurting again?” Mike made a sympathetic noise in the back of his throat. “Don’t forget to stretch, Shorty.”

“Hmm. It only hurts more when I stretch,” he grumbled and before he could protest he was pulled into a bear hug and Mike was ruffling his hair.

“Take better care of yourself, or ask that boyfriend of yours to give you a  _ sexy _ massage.” 

Pushing the blond away, Levi cursed under his breath when Mike sent him a stupid wink. 

An overwhelming amount of past guilt knotted his stomach, but he shook the feeling away. He was glad they’d talked after all, even if only for thirty minutes as they both now needed to get back to their clients, so the feeling was uncalled for.

For the rest of the day, “boyfriend” kept playing like a broken record in Levi’s head. Even in the shower, he couldn’t focus on anything else and while lying in his bed it kept him wide awake, mind scrambling to process the label. 

Levi turned on his side so his cheek was resting on the pillow and he could read Eren’s good night text again. Was Eren his boyfriend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad the remaining chapters are filled with ereri and this was the last non-ereri centric chapter for this fic! I miss writing them together already :')
> 
> My midterms and internship are finally over so, writing (and videogames) HERE I COME. Who is still sticking around for the ending of this fic? :eyes:


	10. Chapter 10

“Freedom, finally!” Eren swung his backpack over his shoulder after Levi greeted him outside the exam room. The brunet looked exhausted with the dark bags under his eyes, but he didn’t show any other sign of fatigue as he was being his enthusiastic self, wrapping his arms around Levi.

“How did it go?” Levi asked, giving Eren a quick peck on his cheek, smiling subtly as a pink hue covered Eren’s cheeks. 

Eren licked his lips before planting a kiss on Levi’s lips and then shrugged, hooking his arm around Levi’s. “No idea. We’ll know next week.”

Levi snorted. “And they say I’m the pessimist.”

“You are.”

Shaking his head a little, Levi decided to let this one go, and they made their way to the nearest Starbucks for a quick coffee date. Eren ordered his usual Chai Tea Latte and cradled his cup as he excitedly rambled about the cats they’d meet at the animal shelter. Levi smiled fondly at the brunet, falling harder and harder every moment spent with him and listened mindlessly as he appreciated the lively glint in Eren’s eyes. 

When they made it back to Eren’s apartment, Levi was carrying Eren’s cat in a travel box. Titan already seemed attached to Eren as he only stopped protesting if he could get a glimpse of Eren while Levi and him made the apartment cat-proof. Getting rid of any loose strings and possible poisonous plants, Levi snuck a few yearning glances at Eren and occasionally rubbed his hands along Eren’s sides and neck, stealing a few kisses here and there.

Warmth spread through his core when Eren carefully opened the travel box and let the black cat with a white chest out in the apartment. The cat had been up for adoption for a couple of months at their local animal shelter and from the moment Eren had petted him, Levi knew the decision had already been made. Eren fell head over heels in love with the black cat, and the cat seemed to enjoy Eren’s company too. During the whole ordeal, Levi had been trying to suppress a smile but couldn’t stop grinning, feeling like a creep and now was no different. He cleared his throat at the emotions overwhelming him, and Eren turned on his heel to send him an earnest smile.

At the end of the day, after playing with Titan and his new toys, they each had a bowl of pasta and watched a movie on the couch while Eren was slumped up against Levi’s chest. Titan purred in the distance, already claiming the spot next to Eren’s stove, and Levi drew circles on Eren’s shoulders.

“You have a slow heartbeat, you know that?”

Levi nodded. “I do.”

“It’s weird, stop it.”

“You want my heart to stop?” Levi chuckled, and Eren grumbled in response. He kissed the top of his head, wiping the wild strands from his forehead.

Eren let out a breathy giggle, smiling lazily as he tilted his head upwards to give a quick peck to Levi’s lips.

Running a hand through Eren’s brown locks before he cupped his cheek, Levi pulled him in for another kiss. He savored the taste of Eren’s lips, letting his walls crumble down with each soft peck on his lips and grinned when Eren slid his hands over his arms. 

Eren was too good for him, so perfect to the point he wanted to take in as much as he possibly could, never enough and always craving more. Levi prided himself in his self-restraint, but once Eren softly whimpered into the kiss, he lost his composure and delved his tongue in Eren’s mouth.

Levi moaned into the kiss when Eren pressed his palm against his torso, fingers trailing the outlines of his muscles as they slid down under his shirt to the neatly trimmed hairs under his belly button. He pressed their lips harder together, drawing out more breathy moans and silent pleads for more.

Without breaking up their lip-lock, Levi helped Eren get rid of his black shirt before pulling the brunet onto his lap and undoing his own. They ground their clothed arousals together as they kept exploring each other’s mouths in earnest, naked torsos sliding against one another.

Eren scraped his nails over Levi’s undercut and electricity ran up Levi’s spine, groaning as he let himself go into the sensation. They lost time in each other’s embrace, whispered praises spilling past their lips as their hands wandered over each other’s bodies. When Levi ran his fingers through Eren’s brown locks, slightly tugging at his head, Eren let out a filthy moan and Levi realized they should take this elsewhere.

“Bedroom?” he asked, digging his blunt fingernails in Eren’s waist, and Eren impatiently nodded. 

Grinning, Levi hoisted him up from his lap and carried him to the bedroom with Eren’s legs wrapped around his torso. He didn’t want to spend a moment away from Eren, the briefest loss of contact would drive him nuts. He was in deep and there was no way to run, in fact, he didn’t want to, he wanted to be engulfed by Eren. Surrounded by him to the point there was only one thing on his mind; Eren. 

He was shaken out of his inner thoughts when Eren broke up their lip lock once they made it past the door frame.

“You’re strong for someone who is so short.”

“Watch it, I can drop you any second and just leave.”

Eren tilted his head sideways, smiling mischievously. “Hmm, you wouldn’t.”

“Are you sure about that?” Levi raised an eyebrow and put Eren down on the edge of his bed.

Eren bit his lip when Levi ran his tongue over the pulse point on his neck, voice breathy. “Yes, you like me too much.”

Levi scoffed, burying his face deeper in the crook of Eren’s neck, inhaling deeply. Never enough, always craving more. “You’re too cocky for your own good.” 

“You like that about me.”

Humming, Levi pulled away to slide his fingers over the sides of Eren’s torso and the brunet shivered. “Sensitive, are we?”

A pout formed on Eren’s lips, but his blush grew darker when Levi popped the button of his jeans with a smirk. He could only stop himself from ravishing Eren to undress them both so his own cock wasn’t straining against his jeans and he was able to start nipping at Eren’s thighs.

“You know,” Levi started, looking up from between Eren’s legs, drinking up the sight beneath him. “Red really suits you.”

“Red?” Eren asked, furrowing his brows, hissing softly as Levi sucked the same spot, leaving behind a dark mark.

Levi hummed. “Your blush. It’s cute.” He closed more distance between them, nuzzling the side of Eren’s face.

“It’s a shame I don’t know what that looks like,” Eren said teasingly, already sounding breathless.

Kissing his cheek, Levi snorted. “You don’t even need to see that. Your cheeks are so warm, as if they were glowing.” 

He was taken aback when Eren cupped his cheeks, eyes widening under the gesture. “Yours are too.”

Levi grumbled under his breath, striking for revenge by ducking down between the brunet’s thighs. He ran the flat of his tongue over the underside of Eren’s cock without a warning, stopping the brunet from making another comment as he hissed at the sensation. 

Eren’s chest heaved with every breath he took as Levi started lapping at his length, licking all around his shaft before tilting his head back. Running his tongue all the way up to the tip, Levi wrapped his lips around the head of Eren’s cock and gave it an experimental suck.

Eren’s moans grew louder and louder as Levi took him further into his mouth with every bob of his head. Levi dug his fingers in his hips, releasing Eren with a pop to pay more attention to his sensitive inner thighs. 

“Just look at you, responding to me so well,” Levi said, voice hoarse and thick with arousal as he left teasing kisses and nips on the skin. He wrapped his free hand around Eren’s cock, pumping it slowly while letting his teeth sink into the soft flesh.

Eren tensed and cried out, and Levi quickly pulled away in fear he might’ve hurt him. Instead, his eyes widened as he felt Eren’s cock pulse in his palm and saw the first spurt of white hit the brunet’s stomach.

The raven was amazed by how fast he had Eren coming under his touch, mesmerized by the way his blush crept all the way down to his neck and collarbones. Eyes fixed on the brunet’s body and trembling lips, he coaxed Eren through his orgasm by continuing to lazily move his hand up and down his cock while kissing and licking the red bite mark on his inner thigh.

“Sorry,” Eren said, voice broken and flung his forearm over his face, but Levi was having none of that. He crawled further onto the bed, swatting away Eren’s arm so he could lock their lips together in a tentative kiss. 

“Never apologize.” He grazed his teeth over Eren’s jawline before leaving a sloppy suck on his neck. “Plus, you already seem eager for round two.”

Eren’s fading blush came back in full force, and Levi felt his fond smile stretch into a grin. 

“I’ve just never felt this way before.”

Levi’s throat went dry at the softness in his words, and he blinked a few times before trying to even out his voice. “That’s pretty cheesy.”

Eren chuckled breathily and Levi had to avert his gaze after he asked if he had lube and condoms in order to dig through Eren’s nightstand. 

He tossed the pack of condoms and lube onto the mattress before getting up from the bed. “Don’t want Titan interrupting us,” he chuckled as he closed the door of Eren’s bedroom. 

“Oh God, what if he’d just stare?”

“Cats tend to do that, so I’d rather not,” Levi chuckled, guiding Eren further onto the bed so his head was resting on the pillow. He captured Eren between both his arms and leaned down, initiating a heated, passionate kiss by swiping his tongue over Eren’s swollen bottom lip.

Once Eren was hard again in his palm, Levi propped himself up on his knees to open the bottle and squeezed out a generous amount of lube on his fingers. He coaxed Eren’s knees further apart before hooking his left hand under the back of his knee, bracing it against his shoulder.

Levi took another glance at Eren, drinking up the sight of brown strands sticking to his damp forehead and bottom lip sucked into his mouth before he reached down and pressed one finger past the tight ring of muscle.

Eren let his head fall back against the pillow, back arching off the mattress as Levi carefully moved his finger in and out.

“You okay?” Levi’s voice didn’t come out as even as he had hoped, but Eren didn’t seem to mind.

The brunet nodded his head. “I am.”

“Let me know if it’s too much,” Levi said, adding a second finger. He moved his hand back and forth until the muscles had relaxed enough for him to hook his fingers, and Eren jolted when Levi brushed over his prostate.

Eren bit his lip even harder, and Levi had to push two digits of his free hand into Eren’s mouth so he wouldn’t break the skin. Eren’s boldness took him by surprise when he started sucking on his fingers, and Levi groaned through gritted teeth.

“Jesus, Eren.”

Eren lazily smiled and Levi couldn’t stop his mind from wandering; imagining that soft tongue pressed against his cock. Eren made it hard for him to focus, but he managed to hit the brunet’s prostate again and in no time Eren was rhythmically rolling his hips on Levi’s hand.

Did Eren have any idea how he was driving him insane?

When he removed his fingers from Eren’s hole, the brunet whined in protest and Levi licked his lips. “Patience.” Levi ripped the wrapper open with his teeth and rolled the latex over his hard cock. He stroked the remaining lube over his cock, shuddering as he briefly lost himself in pleasure and he could only imagine how good it’d feel when he’d be inside of Eren.

When Levi bent down to catch Eren’s lips with his own, Eren let his legs fall open further and Levi lined himself up, looking up at Eren. “Are you sure?”

Eren whimpered impatiently and pushed his leg further in the small of Levi’s back, coaxing him to continue. “Yes. Fuck me, please.”

Levi licked his lips before he pushed inside. There was still a little bit of resistance, but he didn’t rush, gave Eren time to get used to his length once he was fully seated inside him. He kept his movements shallow at first, only going deeper once Eren started moving his hips to meet his thrusts.

He kept a steady, even rhythm of fucking Eren slow and deep, and the brunet moaned and whimpered under his touch, begging for him to fuck him harder, but Levi didn’t comply. He’d have Eren unravel beneath him just like this, and he wanted to draw this out as long as he possibly could. 

Eren writhed underneath him, trying to speed up the agonizingly slow pace, and was turned into a blushing, blabbering mess once Levi shifted his grip on Eren’s hips so he could hit his prostate with every thrust. Eren nearly sobbed in ecstasy every time Levi sank into him and desperately sought out more of the raven, clawing at his back as he feverishly moved his body. Levi could hear Eren moaning out his name over and over as he continuously clenched around his cock. 

“You feel so good, my sweet Eren.”

At the last bit of praise, Eren cried out Levi’s name one last time, arching his back as he came over both their stomachs, and Levi groaned, burying himself deep inside Eren as his own release finally coursed through him. With gradually stuttering breaths, he came with a quiet cry of his own, hiding his face against Eren’s sweaty collarbones.

Bodies slouched together in post-orgasmic bliss, Levi closed his eyes and pressed their foreheads together, breaths mingling, and he swore he could see Eren mouth three important words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Updating two days in a row? What universe are we in?


	11. Chapter 11

Levi awoke at dawn like usual, but it took his sleep-driven mind a few seconds to remember where he was as he confusedly looked at a red clock on the nightstand. The first thing he became awfully aware of was the warmth pressed against his back, making him realize he had crashed at Eren’s and the body that felt like a koala clinging to his back was in fact the brunet who was still fast asleep.

He peeked over his shoulder, feeling Eren’s soft breath puffing against his nape, and was met by the least graceful sleeping face he had ever seen. Drool had dribbled down Eren’s cheek as he slept with his mouth wide open, his hair a wild mess, but fondness tugged at Levi’s heart at the sight. 

Eren’s unspoken words from last night hadn’t gone past him, in fact, they hadn’t left his mind for a single second. 

Levi pursed his lips and faced the red clock again; 7 AM. What he felt for Eren was beyond words, something he had never experienced before and couldn’t even have dreamed of ever feeling. It had hit him like a brick, sudden, unexpected, and hard like stone, but there wasn’t a single hint of anxiety twisting in his body. For once, he felt at ease. Calm. Normal? 

Everything with Eren felt natural, as if searching out his presence was instinct-driven, but did that mean he loved him? Levi thought it did, but there was a part of him that wanted to be completely certain of his feelings before ever speaking those words out loud. 

He had never said them to anyone, but Eren seemed like the person who more than deserved to hear those three special words.

Levi nodded at his thoughts, but he needed time to be one hundred percent sure. The idea of reciprocating Eren’s confession and then taking it back, hurting the brunet, breaking his heart, was something Levi would never be able to forgive himself for. So, instead of rushing into it, he decided to give himself some more time to figure out how he felt.

Levi felt a different kind of warmth at the thought of loving and being with Eren, but he had never been someone who was in tune with emotions, let alone now. He was starting to feel the pressure he was putting on himself and concluded he shouldn’t dwell on it right now, just enjoy the moment as long as he could.

After thirty minutes of cuddling up against Eren’s chest, Levi couldn’t hold himself back any longer and had to get up to take a piss and a shower. When he untangled their legs, Eren slowly shifted awake, and Levi realized they were both still naked. They had drifted to sleep after last night’s session and another wave of warmth coursed through the raven at the memory.

He had lost, and he couldn’t be more content. 

Getting out of bed, Levi stretched his limbs before shuffling to the bathroom on the opposite side of the hallway. Titan was surprisingly quiet, peeking through the curtains in the living room, and Levi decided to leave him be. Instead, he quickly stepped into the shower, shivering as the first cold blast of water hit his face. 

What followed was one of the quickest showers of Levi’s life, and after a mere three minutes, he wrapped a towel around his hips and made his way back to Eren. The brunet was sprawled on his stomach across the bed, looking like an ungraceful seastar taking up the whole bed.

The mattress shifted as Levi sat down on the edge of the bed, and he started caressing the back of Eren’s knee. “Where am I supposed to fit?

Eren turned his head to the side, grinning sleepily. “On the floor.”

“Hmm, I don’t think you mean that,” Levi said, crawling further onto the bed, letting the towel slip off his body. He started peppering Eren with kisses on the small of his back, slowly trailing upwards. Eren writhed under the soft touches and careful kisses, and Levi’s cock swelled at the sight. He was just absolutely perfect.

“That tickles, Levi,” Eren whined, and Levi only smirked in response, continuing by making his way down again until he was able to softly bite the plump flesh of the two round globes of Eren’s ass.

Eren yelped at the action, and his breath hitched at the back of his throat when Levi slipped a finger in between his cheeks. 

“Yes?” Levi asked and Eren nodded shyly but spread his legs a little. A spike of arousal immediately shot to Levi’s groin and he hummed in admiration. “Gorgeous.”

Levi had speculated Eren had a praise kink and this time there was no denying the blush that crept down his neck. He could admire the crimson on his nape now that the rays of sunshine peeked through the curtains, licking Eren’s tanned skin beautifully. 

“Stay still for me, my sweet Eren,” Levi said, indulging Eren a little more as he reached for the lube and condoms that were still lying on the floor. He took his time opening Eren up, starting by pushing one digit past the ring of muscle and only adding a second when Eren started begging for more. It easily fit next to the first finger, and he scissored them until Eren started rutting his hips against the mattress. 

“Lift your hips for me,” Levi said, coaxing Eren to follow his lead by caressing his soft thighs and nipping at the sensitive skin. After the brunet lifted his ass, Levi followed and shifted on the mattress so he was kneeling behind him, his own cock heavy against his stomach. “That’s good, so good, Eren.” 

He clearly heard the whimper that left Eren’s throat at the praise, and Levi couldn’t help but grin before he pushed his two digits back inside him, searching for the brunet’s prostate and then pressing down on it. Eren’s hips jutted forward as he found the sensitive bundle of nerves and he wrapped his hand around the brunet’s achingly hard cock.

“More?” 

“Yes,” Eren pleaded, voice hoarse and thick with arousal. “I want you.”

The way Eren asked for him, craved him, made Levi’s head spin and he ripped the wrapper open with his teeth before rolling the condom over his swollen cock. He ran his hands over Eren’s ass, gripping his waist and digging his fingernails into the soft skin before running his hand through his chocolate brown locks. 

Eren whimpered, letting his head lull back and followed Levi’s lead. Heated moans and whispered pleas spilled past his lips, and Levi hadn’t even entered him yet. Pride swelled in Levi’s chest at the thought that he could make Eren feel so good already without properly fucking him. 

When Levi lined up his cock and pushed all the way inside, they both moaned in relief and soon found a steady rhythm of deep thrusts that satiated them both. Eren’s pants turned into heated moans, and Levi’s groans and moans became louder as they neared their release. 

Heat coiled in the pit of Levi’s stomach and he wrapped his hand around Eren’s heavy cock, moving it up and down in unison with his pace. His steady thrusts grew erratic and Eren’s moans turned into screams of his name and pleas for more as they both searched their high.

“You’re so good for me, Eren. My Eren.” Levi panted through gritted teeth, clinging onto the last strain of self-control until Eren was coming hard in his hand and onto the bedsheets. Levi followed suit, emptying himself in the condom, silently calling out Eren’s name and pressed his forehead against Eren’s back.

Afterward, as they lay together, sweat-slick bodies intertwined in bliss, Levi informed Eren they should clean up their mess and Eren grumbled.

“Hmm, later.”

“No,” Levi swiftly got up from the bed, desperately craving a shower and fresh sheets. “You’re getting up too.”

“What are you? A clean freak?” Eren mocked, still refusing to get up.

“Yes,” Levi said flatly, swooping Eren up and carrying him to the bathroom with him.

“Fine.”

Levi chuckled and planted a kiss on Eren’s lips before letting the water heat up. They took a long shower together, and when Eren wrapped his arms around him, Levi’s eyes widened. He was reluctant at first but soon allowed Eren to press him against his chest, the gesture intimate and making his heart swell with affection. 

They were slumped on the couch, legs intertwined, bellies full of leftovers, Titan chilling in his already usual spot, when Levi got a text from Hanji. 

To Levi  
From Hanji, 11:53 AM  
“New Years at my place! Be there or be square!”

Levi scoffed at the text. “Hanji is throwing a New Year’s party.”

Eren snuggled closer to Levi, wrapped his arm around the smaller man’s chest. “Cool.”

Furrowing his brows, Levi was once more reminded he was dating the possibly densest human being on the planet and he should spell this out for Eren. “So, are you coming?”

“Oh, I’m also invited?” Eren raised his head, clear confusion displayed on his face, and Levi couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head.

“That’s kind of a given.”

Eren smiled widely, his excitable puppy side resurfacing. “Yes, I’m coming.”

“I mean, you have a couple of times already.”

“Levi!” Eren shrieked, landing a hard slap on Levi’s stomach.

The blow hit way harder than Levi had anticipated and he blew out his cheeks, rubbing the sore spot and wincing a little. “Jesus. Am I lying, though?

A pout formed on Eren’s lips. “You’re not, but you don’t have to say it like that.”

“Aww.” Levi teasingly nudged him in the side. “Are you embarrassed?”

“Bully.”

Grinning, Levi planted a kiss on Eren’s burning cheeks. Teasing him was just too much fun. “What are your plans for Christmas break, by the way?”

Eren took a brief moment to answer. “I’m spending Christmas with my family back home. You?”

“Just staying here.” Levi nodded. “Gonna try to get in some extra hours at the gym. I need the money.”

“Oh… right,” Eren said. He shifted uncomfortably in Levi’s embrace, his long legs bumping against the side of Levi’s. 

Levi noticed the change of tone in Eren’s voice. Furrowing his brows in thought, he carefully chose his next words; not wanting to seem desperate while still bringing his point across. “We could meet up after work?”

Eren’s face immediately lit up, but once he realized he was wearing his emotions on his sleeve again, he tried to play it cool. How cute, Levi thought.

“That’d be nice.”

During the following week, Levi dropped by Eren’s place after work, always carrying an overnight bag with him since more often than not he spent the night at his boyfriend’s. On a Thursday, he brought his laptop with him, only taking it out once Eren was fast asleep next to him. He had gotten used to Eren’s soft snoring in no time, and the sound didn’t bother him anymore. It even brought a sense of peace in him as he opened his Word document and dared to type the first words of his story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are we all surprised by more smut at this point?
> 
> It feels so weird we're this close to finishing this fic so what are your thoughts so far? 
> 
> I'll be back shortly with the last chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you all ready for the final chapter? I mean, you better be because you're here.
> 
> P.S.: I've just changed my username from Mopsieflops to Bean_writes! Oh, and happy Valentines day lol. What a day to finish the mushiest fic I've ever written!

“I thought we weren’t going to give each other anything?” Levi raised an eyebrow at the ungracefully wrapped package in his hands. The wrapping was all crooked and consisted of more tape than actual paper, and he couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the sight. 

“I know, I know, but I saw- well, my mom saw these and I had to get them for you. I don’t like the idea of not giving you at least a little something for your birthday.” Eren had started rambling at this point, and Levi shushed him with a scoff.

“It’s sweet, but I didn’t get you anything.”

“My birthday isn’t until March.” Eren shrugged and stuck out his tongue. “Just take good care of me later.” 

Levi grinned at the last comment. “My, how romantic.”

“Just open it, Levi.”

“Okay, okay,” Levi said, carefully opening the little box. Inside there were two bright red gloves, and a surge of warmth ran through him. Eren really just did that, didn’t he?

“You’re a dumbass,” Levi choked out, more affected by the thoughtful gift than he’d like to admit. It was one of their first conversations that later turned into an inside joke, and he couldn’t suppress the soft smile forming on his lips. 

“I can be, but I don’t need sight to know you love them,” Eren grinned, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He made a move to close the distance between them, and Levi accepted the gesture.

“Debatable,” Levi teased back, trying to recollect himself as he put the gift on his kitchen table and let Eren wrap his arms around his waist. “And don’t act so smug.”

“Whatever makes you feel better,” Eren hummed, pressing their lips together.

Closing his eyes, Levi made an affirmative noise as the brunet deepened the kiss. “Missed me that much?” 

Eren had only been gone for a mere three days to spend Christmas with his family, but Levi would be lying if he didn’t admit these few days apart had felt like an entire week. He had grown accustomed to the brunet’s presence faster than he would’ve thought, and while on one hand, he hated the fact he had grown so quickly attached, the sweet satisfaction of seeing his boyfriend again was more than worth it.

“Want your present now?” Levi grinned, grazing his teeth over Eren’s jawline before leaving a teasing nip on his neck. “Just say the word.”

“Yes,” Eren said, a breathy moan moving past his lips as Levi sucked a dark mark on his collarbone.

Eren ended up in Levi’s lap, and Levi sucked in a sharp breath when Eren started rolling his hips in earnest, bouncing on his lap. Over the course of the Christmas break, he had learned Eren liked to take control every once in a while and torture him. “Payback” as he would call it as he made Levi beg with slow, shallow snaps of his hips.

This time was different. Desire ignited between them and their short break from each other had resulted in Eren feverishly moving his hips up and down, panting Levi’s name and digging his fingernails in Levi’s thighs.

“Fuck,” Levi groaned, heat already starting to coil in the pit of his stomach. He was losing it fast, but from the looks of Eren’s completely blissed and fucked out face, he was nearing his own high soon too.

“You’re so good at that,” Levi panted, tongue loose as he was clouded by raw passion.

Eren’s hips stuttered at the praise, and he came hard in Levi’s palm as the raven told him how absolutely gorgeous he was while bouncing on his cock. 

  
  


Most of the remaining break was spent at Levi’s home, in his bed or on his couch when he wasn’t working at the gym. If he had the afternoon off, he’d take out his laptop and type out the sentences he had been thinking about during work. Writing had been going smoothly ever since he had picked it up again, and he had promised to read a few sentences to Eren every couple of days whenever a scene would be finished. It still wasn’t enough, according to Eren, the brunet wanted Levi to read the full story to him.

“Not a chance,” Levi said, continuing to type.

“But I wanna knooww,” Eren whined in Levi’s ear, nuzzling his face against his pale cheek as they lay on the couch. “You’re good, Levi. I wanna hear it.”

“Only when it’s done,” Levi argued back, dismissing Eren’s compliment. For the first time since he could remember, he was actually positive he could finish this work in progress; something he hadn’t expected in the slightest. Nonetheless, he still had the awful habit of spending more time on editing rather than writing.

“I go back to edit one sentence at least five times, so you’re just gonna have to wait till I’m completely satisfied.” 

“Knowing you, you’ll never be.” A pout formed on Eren’s lips. “You’re too hard on yourself.”

“That, I am,” Levi nodded, running his fingers through Eren’s hair after he closed his laptop. “I’m just… secretive about my writing.”

“I’ve noticed,” Eren retorted quickly, and Levi couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s temper. 

He kissed Eren’s forehead. “Don’t pout.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“And here’s that sass again,” Levi chuckled, pulling Eren closer to him.

Eren grumbled under his breath but quickly admitted his defeat once Levi pressed him against his chest. Levi had also learned Eren liked to lie on him, it was intimate according to the brunet, and who was Levi to deny him that? 

“We should get ready to go to Hanji’s, though,” Eren said without making a move to get up, intertwining their legs even more.

Levi hummed in agreement.

“Are we?” 

Levi sighed, unhooking his legs from Eren’s. “We are.”

“Ok, I’m going to shower first, though.” Eren rubbed his eyes, lazily smiling when an audible sigh left Levi’s lips. “Shotgun.”

Levi’s gaze followed Eren swiftly moving to his bathroom. He had become familiar with his surroundings rather fast, Levi thought, and the idea of joining Eren in the shower popped up in his head. 

He stripped in the bathroom, but Eren didn’t miss the rustling of clothes.

“Saving water?”

“Obviously,” Levi said, quickly getting rid of his boxers and socks. “No other reason.”

“Of course not.”

Maybe it was Levi’s imagination, but Eren’s voice sounded throatier than usual. He decided to shake off the idea, but when he opened the curtain, he was met by Eren’s back already pressed against the wall, cock heavy between his legs.

Eren bit his lip, wet hair plastered across his forehead. “Surprise.” 

The little shit knew he’d follow him.

The next few minutes were a blur of wandering hands and heated moans, voice muffled by the sound of running water as Levi’s hand moved over them both.

Eren broke away from the kiss to moan Levi’s name, legs trembling as Levi steadied them both. “I’m gonna come.”

Levi pressed his forehead against Eren’s, hot breaths mingling and he picked up his pace. Waves of pleasure rolled through his body as he fucked himself against Eren’s cock, sealing their mouths together in a desperate kiss. He gasped for air as he came and Eren shuddered, weakly thrusting his hips until he spilled all over Levi’s hand.

“Ok, now we really need to get ready.”

  
  


When they made it to Hanji’s, they were about half an hour late and the last couple there. Mike and Nanaba were in the kitchen preparing dinner, and Mikasa and Jean were sitting on the yellow couch next to Armin. 

“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” Armin grinned, taking another sip of one of Hanji’s brews. 

Mikasa turned over her shoulder to look at the couple. “You’re late,” she said, her gaze alternating between Eren and Levi. “How was your Christmas break?”

“Good, good,” Eren nodded, following Levi who led them to the empty armchair left from the couch.

Levi plopped down, pulling Eren on his lap. He remained quiet, watching the scene unfold with interest as the three friends chatted about how they had spent their breaks until Hanji popped out from the kitchen, waving their cheese-covered wooden spoon around.

“Seemed like your break was more than good based on that hickey you’re sporting.”

“What!” Eren’s brows shot up into his hairline, and he slapped Levi on his shoulder. “You ass.”

“Ha! I knew it,” Hanji smirked and Levi shook his head. “I wondered why Shortstack seemed less constipated. He got a good shag.”

A blush crept up on Eren’s cheeks and Levi scoffed, rubbing the brunet’s back. “You fell for the oldest trick in the book.”

“Ugh.” Eren slumped back against Levi’s chest. “Let’s just talk about something else. How were things at home?”

“Pretty nice,” Mikasa’s serious look faltered and she nodded at her boyfriend who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. “Jean behaved himself this time around.”

“I always behave,” Jean interjected.

“Pft, right,” Armin snorted

Eren chuckled in Levi’s lap. “How were things with your grandpa, Ar?”

“Really good, actually. His plants survived the storm.”

“Doesn’t anyone have some gossip?” Hanji interrupted as they came out of the kitchen again, handing Eren and Levi their drinks.

Levi shrugged. “You’re the one who usually knows everything.”

Mike came out of the kitchen, arm wrapped around Nanaba’s waist. “Not even me.”

“Damn, you always hold the hottest tea.” Hanji slapped Mike on his arm.

“That, I do.”

Levi gave Nanaba a friendly nod, and the couple took two chairs from the dinner table to complete the circle. 

“So, how have things been at the shop?” Hanji asked Nanaba.

“Pretty quiet,” they said, their blond hair falling before their eyes as they took a sip from their cocktail. “Any new piercing plans, Levi?”

When Levi made a move to reply, Eren almost fell off his lap out of excitement. 

“Jesus, Eren.”

Everyone laughed at the scene, but Levi’s hold stiffened around Eren’s waist when the bell rang. 

Moblit, Levi thought, already growing irritated at the idea. Hanji’s date with Moblit had gone smoothly, great even according to his friend. It had been nothing but a misunderstanding about what had happened at Hanji’s party, but Levi still thought it was complete and utter bullshit. 

“Calm down,” Mike whispered to the raven. “For Hanji.”

Eren also tried to comfort him by pressing a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it in circles. “It’ll be fine.”

Moblit entered the apartment with a bottle of wine under his arm, awkwardly waving at everyone.

Levi didn’t move a muscle.

  
  


Halfway through the evening, Hanji called Levi to the kitchen after dinner. “I need my little clean freak to help me out.”

“Don’t call me little,” Levi said, reaching for the rubber gloves next to the sink. He filled it up with water and soap, only looking over to his friend when they nudged him in the side.

“So, what do you think?”

Levi turned his attention back to the dirty dishes. “About what?”

“Gee. I wonder about what?”

“I still don’t trust him,” Levi stated flatly.

“Get that stick out of your ass, Shorty.”

He had had enough. He let the mug fall back into the sink, squinting at Hanji. “Then explain the girl’s name.”

“I asked him and he didn’t even know who that was. I must’ve misheard him.”

“You never jump to conclusions so I doubt it.”

“Everyone makes mistakes, even I do.”

“So, you’re admitting this is one?” 

Levi dropped the bomb, his heart trying to escape from his ribcage when Hanji glared at him. Someone just had to tell them.

“Watch it.”

“Can’t I say the truth?” Levi spat out. “I don’t want him playing you.”

“If I see a single sign he is, he’s out. Got it? I can handle myself.” 

“Fine.”

“Yup, more than fine.” Hanji stayed quiet for a while, mindlessly finishing up washing the dishes. By the time they were done, Levi’s anger had cooled down, and he leaned against the furniture, picking at his fingernails.

“Now drop the foul mood and have fun with Eren,” Hanji grinned. “You two lovebirds have it baaad.” They wrapped their arms around Levi, dripping soap all over his shirt. “Admit it, I’m good.”

“Fucking Christ, Hanji,” Levi said through gritted teeth, pushing his friend off of him. “You don’t need to mess up another shirt of mine.

“Eh, it’ll dry. Plus Eren won’t be able to see it.”

Levi barked out a laugh. “Okay, good one.”

Hanji’s grin turned into a soft smile, and they rested their chin on their palm. “It’s good to see you happy, Shortstack.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me, I hate that shit.”

“Right, right.” Hanji waved their hands. “Just go to Eren, then you two can snuggle a bit more before the countdown starts.”

When Levi moved back to the living room, the topic had changed from lighthearted favorite movies to boring university stuff. 

Levi had to roll his eyes at that but tapped Eren on the shoulder so he’d make room in the armchair for him. Eren settled back onto his lap, wrapping his arms around the smaller man.

“Hello, stranger,” Eren grinned, planting a kiss on Levi’s mouth. 

Based on the eagerness of his lips, Eren had had a few too many tequila sunrises, and Levi had to break away from the kiss if he didn’t want this to go any further. “Easy there.”

Eren giggled. “What? I missed you.”

“Has everyone just turned into a sap tonight?”

“Seems like it,” Armin agreed, looking up from his cocktail. “Imagine being the only single one here.”

Levi couldn’t help but chuckle. “Someone had to take my place as the single guy.”

“Less than five minutes everyone!” Hanji announced, taking out the pack of sparklers. “Eren can you see the outline of sparklers?”

“I can’t,” Eren said, dismissing Hanji’s sympathetic noise. “Levi, do you want one?” 

“No, I’m good.” Levi shook his head. “I don’t like sparkly stuff near my face.”

“Lame,” Eren faked a sigh before he got up from Levi’s lap. “We’re going outside, right?”

“Yes, yes,” Hanji said, scrambling for the rest of the sparklers and handing everyone their pair.

An anxious look crossed over Eren’s features once they stepped outside, and Levi wrapped his arm around him impossibly tighter. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just a bit weird.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “What is?”

“Not a bad type of weird,” Eren quickly replied, waving his hands before putting them on Levi’s hips. “It’s just a bit surreal it’s already the new year and I’m spending it with you.”

Levi swallowed thickly, his voice almost breaking. “I know what you mean, but it’s nice.” He reciprocated Eren’s gesture by facing him and made a move to kiss him before Hanji interrupted them with their loud screech. 

“Less than a minute everyone!” Hanji announced again.

“What are you? A fucking clock?” Levi squinted, protectiveness surging through him. 

Hanji stuck out their tongue, coaxing Moblit to also stand on the terrace, and Levi turned his attention back to his boyfriend. 

He intertwined their fingers, kissing Eren’s knuckles, and the brunet chuckled in response. And that was when it struck Levi, with the rays of sparkles dancing on Eren’s cheeks and his warmth protecting him from the cold winter air.

They stood in the same spot where he had realized he could let himself go in Eren, and the brunet would be there with open arms, accepting him no matter what. Eren had become a constant in his life, something he didn’t know he needed, and now that he had it he never wanted to let go. The thought of not having Eren around made him sick to his stomach, and Levi’s eyes widened as it finally hit him. [Eren lifted him up.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT_Y-eodTv4)

“10!”

“9!”

“8!”

Levi cupped Eren’s burning cheek with his free hand.

“5”

“4!”

As their lips connected, Levi felt whole, at peace, warm, and accepted.

“3!”

“2!”

His eyes slid close and he broke their lip lock to rest his forehead against Eren’s, breath puffing against the brunet’s lips.

“1!”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this fic is done; I was so emotional while writing that last scene but shush, don't ever mention it to me.
> 
> Thank you @rachel_exe for always beta-ing my work and just being a super supportive friend. And also thank you to everyone who has commented on this fic, I couldn't have done it without your continuous support!
> 
> If you enjoy my writing, stick along for some more geraskier fun and maybe (most likely) some smutty ereri/riren works! I'm even thinking about an epilogue but AHHHH I gotta let them go (for now). 
> 
> Anyways, thank you so much and for good measure:  
How are we all feeling here? Feed the writer comments and kudos if you liked the story <3

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to my wonderful beta, [rachel_exe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachel_exe/pseuds/rachel_exe)


End file.
